Broken Blondes
by SpliceKnightWrites
Summary: Jaune and Yang are slowly breaking, the trauma of the fall weighing them down in different ways. How will they keep moving forward? Picking up the pieces of these broken blondes, as they face a world threatening to crush them.
1. Bleak Beginnings

Set just after the events of RWBY Volume 5, two blondes finding comfort in each other's strengths and weakness as they take on the most challenging foes that Remnant has to offer

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Broken Blondes

Chapter 1: Bleak Beginnings

 _The world around her was dark, shadows playing at the edge of her vision. When she attempted to walk forward, the darkness was unchanged, seeming to radiate with a malice that she couldn't quite define while also not giving her any sense of actual progress. The coldness leaching into her bones sparked blazing determination in defiance of the darkness that sought to crush her spirit. She raised her fists…fist…_ _her breath caught in her throat as she realized that she didn't have something crucial._

 _Her entire right arm… past where her elbow SHOULD have been, it just wasn't there anymore. In its place, an open wound, and with it, a searing pain, unlike any fire she had ever known, much less her own. The fire that should have given her a sense of comfort did nothing but amplify her panic. Her mind raced, realizing how completely out of her depth she was with only one arm._

 _The sound of demonic wing-beats added to the oppressive fear slowly spreading through every part of her, threatening to drown her racing mind. She tried to shift her focus to something else, anything else. Then she realized… she knew that sound… those wings "Mom?!..."_

 _She called out into the blackness, hearing only her desperate voice echo back to her. "…_ _ **MOM**_

 _In spite of her terror, a spike of bitterness hit her as she remembered last time she had seen her mother. A single tear formed in the corner of her eye. She attempted to fight it back, not wanting to shed a tear for the woman. The air around her seemed to echo some of the few words her mother had said to her, after all these years of searching, her ability to abandon her daughter out of her cowardice hurt unlike any punch she'd ever taken. It wasn't a typical, physical hurt like her arm… or rather lack of feeling. This pain hurt in the strangest way, right where her heart should be. She couldn't help but want to hit something, ANYTHING to alleviate the venom in her blood at that moment. The fire that was an integral part of her failed to spark, in this place where warmth somehow abandoned her._

 _As if aware of her thoughts, out of the shadows appeared a flame; more malicious than hers had ever been even at her most volatile. It slowly took shape and clarity. With this clarity a new, different, panic rose to her throat, threatening to suffocate her. She tried to move, knowing too well where she had seen that blaze of violence and rage once before, too late realizing her feet would not respond. Terror gripping her for the longest instant, stretching on for what felt like hours._ _A feeling of helplessness she could not escape was invading her very being as every instinct she possessed, honed after years of combat training and hardened by experience, screamed at her to do something she'd not considered in years. Turn tail and flee._

 _She tried to quiet her mind, allow her some control. The figure attached to the fire-like mop of hair materialized from the darkness. Into view came horns like a devil, strange patterns adorning it's clothes like Lucifer come to take it's wounded soul offering. The smile that cut itself from his almost featureless mask of a face sent ice down her spine, alien to her pyro-centric existence. This feeling was only compounded by the fact that his eyes were 4 inhuman slits, through which only an evil, blood red glow seemed to bleed demonically._

 _Her fear absolutely overwhelming her thoughts, she lashed out, only to be reminded of the absence of her gauntlets. Finally, she caved in an ear splitting scream, only to be drowned out by the agitated cawing of a raven._

As soon as it had begun, it ended. She awoke in a cold sweat, her bedspread soaked through. When she looked around, she found herself enveloped by darkness of a much cozier variety. Her eyes spotted the bedside table in the semi-darkness, falling to the only source of light in the entire room, a strange oriental lantern that appeared to glow with a benevolent, but unknown power. She remained as she was, sitting upright in her bed that was not hers.

Her thoughts wandered to what had happened when she had last held the lantern. The rush of information had overwhelmed her, driving her to her knees, tears escaping her eyes. In that instant, she suddenly knew, without knowing how, that her mother would run from any future conflicts, even as her daughter ran full speed towards them. The mere memory of that experience was enough for her to give the lantern a wide berth.

She took a moment to wipe the sweat that had formed on her brow, deciding that sleep clearly wasn't an option tonight either. Swiftly rising from the light covers and replacing her sweat soaked night clothes with an orange tank top and black combat pants. It was one of the few outfits she had brought from her home on Patch with her, and it gave her comfort, chasing away the last memories of her dream. She had only been riding for what felt like a week before the events that led to her and Weiss arriving at Mistral, seeing her sister again. The outfit reflected her more practical mindset since… the event.

It was suitable enough, and when she was settled, she decided to move from her room, away from the memories that would plague her should she attempt to enter dreamland again. She would go to the kitchen squirreled away from the prying eyes of the dining room. As she closed her door, she looked down the hall to the other doors where her sister, Weiss and others were spending the night. She shook her head in frustration at the heaviness of her body, weighing her down with exhaustion. She sighed before setting off.

She looked to the large back window that dominated the open space as she was walking towards the kitchen. She saw beautiful stars just over the railing. She managed to get to the kitchen without incident, avoiding making noise that might rouse the others, as she wasn't feeling up to discussing anything now. Too much had happened in such a short time. This gave her a minute, away from anything important, to really take in the fact that she had been in Beacon academy just a few short months ago…Was it almost a year now? It was crazy to think about, really.

As she found a glass, and proceeded to fill it with water, she looked at her arms, both of them now, only one flesh and blood, so telling of the smallest changes in temperature. Her focus shifted to the metal arm, it was durable, lightweight, and didn't chafe at all against her skin, it was truly a marvel of engineering. She smiled at that, thinking back on how Ruby had pestered her with questions for hours after she had revealed that in addition to its primary focus, it came loaded with a firearm. It was similar enough in function to Ember Celica that it worked well in conjunction with her remaining gauntlet. It suited her natural choice of combat, hand to hand, and pump (or in this case punch) action shotguns. Her remaining bracelet was scuffed with years of use and abuse at her hands. Whether it was taking on a club, a forest, or even extremists she held nothing back. Just as strong as her combat skill was her quick wit.

She felt her semblance's flames tickling at the edges of her mind, slowly fading back to a more temperate ferocity as her mind settled. It was a constant feeling, over time she had learned to mostly tune it out and let the inferno flow through her, channeling it towards her goals. Now though, it served as a chilling reminder what happened when she moved without thinking… and what it cost her to let her emotions guide her.. That said, pain had always become her strength, and this loss eventually gifted her with a unique sense of clarity. The blaze would be something she would let course through her before, but was now a sickening weight on her mind.

She was walking back to her room when she heard it. Almost akin to the grunts and groans common to the sparring floor at Beacon, she quickly realized that someone was practicing on the balcony, away from everyone. Curiosity needled her, and without thinking, her motherly instincts kicked in. She HAD to see who was pushing themselves so hard, so late at night. What if her baby sister Ruby was pushing herself?

Nah, the grunts were male, which only led to a few options. Her mind settled, she quietly pushed the door to the side, to see a solitary figure, dressed in a black, tight fitting T-shirt, and jeans, his face hidden by the long rugged blonde hair, clearly soaked through with sweat, an indication that this had been something that hadn't just begun. His sword was sheathed, the sheath itself however was extended into two side blades.

He went through the last motions of what seemed to be a series. His actions were smooth and powerful, accentuating the muscles in his back as he swung the weapon with a grace that spoke of many months of practice. As his movements slowly came to a crescendo and then completion, the dual blade form of his sheath retracted smoothly back to a clear sheath shape. He dropped the weapon where he stood and without seemingly being aware of her, he walked to the balcony, where he shut off his scroll, which she realized had been playing some kind of video clip before he closed it.

He was looking away from her completely now, his head slumped, resting on his forearms. She could imagine his eyes downcast, as his body leaned on the railing over the great city of Mistral, it's lights twinkling in the midnight sky.

She didn't know what made her want to talk to him, maybe it was that this didn't seem like the first time he'd been out here practicing on his own, maybe it was out of duty to a fellow hunter, or her need to care for everyone she'd fought beside just a few days ago. Maybe it was the thought of being the one to bring a smile to so many faces with her _brilliant_ sense of humor that compelled her. She wanted to change the look of the sullen figure before her.

The girl takes a deep breath, and silently she moves to the balcony, leaning on the railing. She takes a brief look at the view, smiling contently to herself for a moment. The many lights of Mistral made for an exquisite view, and she couldn't help thinking how serene the city was at night.

Eventually, she looked at him from the side again, her face the picture of curiosity and concern. He's clearly lost in thought, still not registering her existence. Not one to be ignored, she decides to nudge him on the elbow gently, no response. Then again, a little harder. "Jaune…. Are you okay?"

The serene brooding image she had of him shattered in an instant as the man, Jaune, jumps back, flailing and screeching in a high pitched voice before falling back from his perch on the balcony, groaning in annoyance. The sober mood was immediately replaced with a somewhat comical one as she struggles to keep from laughing outright. "Hey Yang… I'm fine. Just can't get to sleep. Thought I could tire myself out… It's been really difficult since… the relic."

Yang's thoughts come back to the lantern, still sitting on her bedside table, glowing. She didn't need any more reason to think of it. She decides to tease him a little, get him to laugh, hopefully change the direction of their conversation. "Gonna go on a panty raid with all the girls here now, eh Naughty boy!? Don't worry, I won't tell Weiss"

Jaune doesn't even really respond, his sober expression unchanging outside of a mild eye-roll. Realizing it probably felt like a random aside, she frowns, presented with a challenge. Ever the conversationalist, "What's on your mind there Vomit Boy?"

Jaune groaned audibly. He knew of Yang's propensity for wordplay, though he had rarely been the focus of it himself, outside of a few absolutely horrid nicknames. "I'm never going to live that down am I? For the record, I've gotten better with that since first year."

Yang rolled her eyes as he got up, mirth still evident on her features. "Pfft, okay Lady Killer, don't avoid the question, what's got you up at night? For real this time."

Jaune's expression morphed from irritated at her clear disregard for his real name to empty and hollow. He was paralyzed for a second before he came back to reality, looking almost questioningly at her. He seemed to be considering something, maybe a lie to cover up his real thoughts, before he sighed, admitting defeat. "Just… It's like every time I close my eyes, the worst decision I've ever made is right in front of me, and I need to open them again… remind myself… it's over…"

She half frowns, only just realizing how poorly chosen her nickname was, given recent events. She herself knew intimately a feeling of loss that shook her to her core. She absentmindedly moved her real hand to touch her metal prosthetic. All the same, she tried to remain positive, and tried to see it from Jaune's perspective. Someone had been mortally wounded because he hadn't acted. Weiss certainly wasn't exactly grateful for the gift of her life back either, given it was sort of his indecision that let to it being necessary at all, which didn't make things easier on him.

She puts a hand on his shoulder, "I can imagine it's pretty hard on you… but you have to look at the upside, Weiss is fine. Everyone made it out okay in the end. You _will_ be ready next time… you have to be… and hey, maybe Cinder is gone forever now… who knows?"

At this, Jaune visibly winced, as though burned. Yang actually checked to see if her semblance had somehow managed to manifest without her knowing, but nothing had changed on her side, the burning sensation still only the outskirts of her eyes. She searched his face for clues, before his posture visibly relaxed a moment later, and his voice, though shaking a bit still, came out clear. "Yeah… next time… I know we can do this…" He seemed to perk up, and she could more clearly see his face was wet, whether from tears or sweat and exertion, it was honestly hard to tell, but he wore a shaky smile. She took small comfort in that, at least.

In a stronger voice, he finally asked, almost teasing now. "So… what brings the little dragon on a night prowl?" His attempt at bravado was undercut by his attempting to lean on his absent sword. His face became acutely acquainted with the floor in spectacular fashion, and Yang couldn't help bursting out laughing. "Smooooooth big guy."

Jaune looked up at her rather sheepishly, and she shook her head before offering her hand to him, he took it gratefully, before pulling on it. It came loose unexpectedly. He fell back and groaned, looking at Yang in irritation, who only wore a glassy expression. She was no longer looking at him, in his prone state, but almost like she was staring _through_ him, at something in the distance. His irritation quickly morphed into concern, and he called out her name, voice shaking. It seemed that was all that was required to rouse her, before he handed her back her arm. "Careful Jaune, wouldn't want you getting _handsy_ there!" Yang punctuated her joke by securing the arm back into its socket, while Jaune just groaned again despite Yang's laughter.

It was as Yang came down from her giggle fit that Jaune smiled, large and genuine this time. "You know what, it's nice to just laugh sometimes, nothing else to think or worry about. It feels like I haven't been able to _at all_ since…."

His voice dropped off as he got a wistful look in his eyes, imagining a time before everything had gone so colossally sideways. Before the attack on Beacon, when things were just about fighting the Grimm and surviving every mission, about learning how his team functioned together, or chasing down the bad guys. "It feels like it's been 6 years since Beacon, not 6 months… 6 months since the last time I really knew what I wanted."

Yang, for her part, couldn't help but agree, despite what had happened last time they'd been there. Beacon had been such a fun and carefree place for her and her ADORABLE little sister. It had been satisfying seeing her develop into a competent leader after all the work Yang had put in over the years - even if she did leave the team to fight her battles alone a little too often.

Even when she was fighting Torchwick, the strange umbrella girl Neo, or in the Vital Festival, nothing had made her more excited than finding a challenge she couldn't beat at first; and finding a way to push past it - or as her dad put it… _through it_. Beacon had finally made all the jabs at her figure, despite being perfect in _her_ opinion, feel like they mattered a little less. The immediate group's appreciation for her physical appearance wasn't what they judged her for, because _there_ , in the heat of battle, for _once_ , she was judged for her indomitable strength and power. It was something she thought she had lost with her arm.

Smiling to herself, she pulled Jaune up for real this time, taking specific care to use her flesh and blood arm, the words coming to her before she knew what she was saying, "Yeah, Beacon was definitely something I wish we could go back to, for sure…. But if I can't move forward, I don't think I'll ever be able to become stronger, like I need to be. Not just for Ruby… but for me"

He nodded, his steel resolve clear in his sapphire blue eyes, mirroring Yang's violet. Their moment, however, was not meant to last, and Yang turned at the sound of the sliding door opening. The figure cast a long shadow on her mind, even as the shadow from the indoor lights created a silhouette over her and Jaune. Her bright mood, which had sprung up as if from nothing during the short conversation, bleached to the melancholy from earlier.. Her whole body tensed, and she muttered a terse goodnight to Jaune, with promises to continue the conversation later. Jaune was utterly confused at the dramatic change in her mood, trying to shout after here as she was roughly brushing past Blake. The faunus herself seemed caught in headlights at the clear tension her interruption had wrought. Jaune was caught between. He tried to call to Yang to stay, but the words died at his lips as the door shut, and he was left under the amber gaze of one Blake Belladonna.

 **End of Chapter 1**

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 **A/N:** So, that's the first chapter of Broken Blondes in the bank. I'd love to know your thoughts, whether I should keep going with this, if there is anything that feels out of character for the story from the original narrative. I tried to stay as close as possible to the natural behavior we had seen up to this point in RWBY, and I don't think it was too off, but I would love to know your opinions.

Leave your reviews, comments and all that good stuff and I'll be sure to check every one.

This story is intended to come out over a period of approximately 25-30 chapters most likely, but we will see how things develop as time goes by.

Gotta give thanks to my Beta's specifically Strandshaper.


	2. Echoes of Bad Memories

Broken Blondes

Chapter 2: Echoes of Bad Memories

Awkward would not _begin_ to describe the atmosphere in which one Jaune Arc found himself immediately following Yang's departure.

Blake looked as if she wanted to call after the buxom blonde, and if anything, run after her. She didn't. She seemed deflated in that single moment of inaction, turning her cold amber gaze on him.

It was more accurate to say he was caught between the crosshairs of a particularly nasty storm of emotions than a gaze. That storm belonging to the clandestine member of the team formerly known as RWBY.

It was _absolutely_ the last place he wanted to be in that moment.

Jaune had always been somewhat dense, there was no denying that veritable fact, but even _he_ felt like he'd interrupted something intimate... despite Yang and Blake being the ones to interrupt him.

The emotions radiating off the woman standing only a few meters from where he was leaning were volatile and frustrated. Not the kind of words often used to describe the usually quiet faunus girl.

She was clearly sullen, the tension rolling off her in waves. The silence was something she could keep up for hours, or even days if she felt it necessary.

Mistral was massive, something he knew well from the stories he'd been told by Ren and Nora while they'd been at Beacon. That had given them a lot of time to learn about each other's teams while they were huddled around a campfire until everyone fell asleep.

He already knew the story of when they'd learnt she was a faunus, but he'd not realized it had been two whole days.

The dark-haired girl's stint when the White Fang first reared their head in Vale… hadn't ended without some significant destruction, at least from the hooded girl's description. He remembered the headlines on Vale's news blog for Hunters. Jaune shuddered to think what could have incurred such a dramatic silence from the woman this time.

His own silence seemed to go unnoticed, outside of minor flicking of her cat ears, which appeared to move independently of another; human pair of ears hidden away behind her long black hair.

The tension built to the point Jaune could no longer stand, gathering what nerves he had, his eyes moved to where he had left his sword and sheath.

He stepped forward to be a little closer to it, before she seemed to come back to the present, her words not aimed at him. " _Really_ , Yang?! After all this time, you won't even face me?"

Jaune recoiled as if slapped. He attempted to interject, "what?…"

" _Shut it_ Jaune." she hissed, her words venom.

His name felt like an insult. He made himself small and kept wisely silent, waiting for her to continue, fearful of moving again. "What's her problem? I've been gone awhile, I know, I **get** that, but she won't even _talk_ to me?!"

At this point, she scowled, bristling as a cat might.

Damn it, what did she _do?_ He couldn't think of anything… his mind drew a blank.

It was this point where Jaune attempted to move again, and cautiously spoke, "Well, when did you leave for Menagerie? Maybe something happened while you were gone?"

Blake just stared past him, and for a moment, Jaune isn't sure he's even going to get an answer.

Then, "I left…"

He leaned in, she didn't bother to look at him. "I left because my past caught up to me."

Jaune remembered the White Fang troops pouring into Beacon. Had someone from her past been there? Did she have to kill them? What did the cat eared woman have to do to get past her days in the group?

"I tried to fight him off, but… I was too distracted, and he was too focused on making me suffer. He promised to make everyone I care about suffer."

Jaune's eyes widened. _Oh_.

"He's the reason Yang is missing an arm, but I'm the reason she's not dead."

 _Maybe it's the whole… missing arm thing she's mad about._ He couldn't help but think.

"Does she know about that?"

No response.

 _Well, that answers that._ He couldn't help but feel annoyed.

"And then what?"

"I made sure she was okay. I didn't want them getting caught up."

"I know Ruby and my team have been trekking through Mistral for the last 6ish months now, Yang didn't come with us… she wouldn't say why. Ruby didn't say much about it either."

Jaune paused, thinking to himself what Yang had been going through for the last several months, what she had been doing.

They had been out of any sort of personal contact for the entire time, knowing that the letters they had sent out might not even reach their recipient with the speed they were delivered and how much people moved around Remnant.

Their scrolls didn't work after a certain distance either, given the CCT tower at Beacon went down, crippling all long-distance communication across the whole of Remnant.

As his mind worked backwards, a strange thought began to take shape. He didn't remember seeing Blake for 90% of the conflict at Beacon… granted he'd not seen Yang either, with his… personal focus, but he was sure something had happened.

He racked his brain, trying to think of any reason that Yang and Blake might fight. The two members of team RWBY who seemed to never fight. Then, realizing the last time she'd been in a conflict with a team member like this, it dawned on him.

"You disappeared, didn't you? Like that time at Beacon?"

Blake lowered her eyes to the floor, all the confirmation he really needed.

"You know what... you shouldn't have disappeared… After everyone was hurting, when people NEEDED someone to rely on, someone to lean on…. _You left_!"

Still nothing from the dark-haired vixen. He didn't know if it was because he was on the right track, or she was considering decking him.

He figured he didn't have much else to lose. "You went off and did your own thing, I know I _hate_ every moment thinking I could have done more."

Blake glared at him. "Jaune, I'm just going to say this _once_. Shut UP."

Jaune glared back at her, not really giving an inch. "I could have done _**some**_ thing, _**any**_ _thing_ to bring her back…. I was totally helpless, but you had a CHOICE. It's my cross to bear for my inaction, but everyone lost something that day. Some people lost more than others… and you walked away when your team needed you most."

As he was speaking, he found the courage to walk to his sword, and Blake, almost robotically, walked out to the edge of balcony.

At some point in Jaune's speech, he had stopped chewing out Blake for something he had _little_ evidence to support, changing it to a self-depreciative tirade.

Calling out her actions morphed to his helplessness to stop the one person who fostered the good in his life from being quite literally destroyed.

His back to Blake, sword in hand, something in his words took him back to that night, where everything that _could_ have gone wrong… **did**.

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 _The first thing to hit him was panic, before the reality of the situation overrode this sensation, and somehow made him more confused and sickened. He knew where he was. The place he couldn't seem to escape, no matter how hard he tried._

 _Beacon was falling, the light it once housed was doused in flames, giving it a paradoxically bright light that only served to amplify the horror around him. So many lives had been lost in a single night._

 _ **Again**_ _, he found himself staring into an ocean of green to distract from the chaos around him. Seeing returned in the normally calm and cool orbs, a sense of determination and regretful fear._

 _The look in Pyrrha's eyes, was what told him something was horribly wrong. These eyes, which had looked at him so many times, encouraging him, helping him become a better man, a better person, a downright competent fighter and tactician._

 _This paragon of hope that forced him to see the good in himself, was now telling him to get somewhere safe and_ _ **hide**_ _._

 _This drastic shift not only made him too scared to move but also sad. There was nothing he wanted to do less when Pyrrha was afraid than_ not _stand with her, to do whatever little he could to help her through it._

 _She must have seen this stubbornness, because she only uttered two words that would haunt him forever. "I'm sorry.."_

 _With this simple apology still at the forefront of his mind, he was forced to the present, where a warm sensation hit his lips._

 _At first the effect stunned him, opening his eyes to the stark reality that Pyrrha Nikos, the perfect warrior, the woman anyone would love to be or be with, had feelings for him._

 _He had only just settled into this idea, a smile forming at his lips despite the chaos all around him, when he felt his armor move on its own, propelled by a force he had only experienced a few times as the direct recipient, Polarity._ _ **Her Semblance.**_

 _It tugged at his armor, pulling him into Pyrrha's Rocket Locker, before he let out a startled cry as the door slammed shut._

 _This he knew, was going to be the last time he ever saw Pyrrha before… before…. The thing he couldn't himself come to admit. The thing that only came to pass because he DIDN'T see her coming! All her teachings of foresight for nothing when it really counted… Damn it!_

 _His frustration mounted at the futility of the situation. When he felt the rockets ignite, his first instinct was to smash his fists against the door in an effort he knew was futile. His time being locked into these metal canisters by his tormentor, Cardin, too many times had taught him that much._

 _This thought didn't stop him from trying, against everything his mind was telling him, as he was propelled away from The Invincible Girl. He tried to keep her in his line of sight as long as possible._

 _Her eyes were covered by her hand, clearly not wishing to trick him, and his heartstrings felt like they were being severed. She was barely visible before she ran to the stone clock tower. Then he couldn't see her anymore._

 _He felt the numbness hit him like a truck. He couldn't believe it. He was completely helpless to do anything to help her. In the one moment she_ really _needed someone by her side._

 _He came back to the moment as he hit his head back on the locker, The locker was changing direction, descending rapidly away from Pyrrha, from his greatest failure as a leader and a friend._

 _Everything went black._

* * *

Reality crashed back on him like a rocket locker hitting pavement head first, his face a picture of tension and torment, the memories bleeding away slowly, leaving him in a semi-paralyzed state, barely able to walk away, his expression hidden from the sullen cat eared woman, who he could feel glaring daggers into his neck.

Probably an appropriate reaction, knowing he wasn't nearly so innocent as he wanted to think.

Shaking his head, he opened the glass door of the balcony, and secured his gear to his hip, before walking through and shutting it again.

He refused to look back. He slipped into his room, and collapsed, sword and sheath in hand.

Blake listened to the sound of Jaune retreating from the balcony, her secondary, faunus ears hearing his movement at length, until she heard the harsh slam of his bedroom closing, having already turned her back on him herself.

She knew she had been gone, but she also knew her team could take care of themselves. Yang's own sister had proven that much on the battlefield well enough, and she shouldn't even have to _THINK_ about Yang handling herself, given she was _easily_ the most physically strong member of their former team. Around Beacon her physical prowess was a matter of school _legend._

She herself was nicknamed a ninja at Beacon. This was also relatively accurate, given her penchant for silence, coupled with her speed and her semblance allowing her to quite literally appear to vanish. The only person who presented even a shadow of a challenge for anyone, including herself, in her mind was Adam.

The man was a force to be reckoned with, especially when he came prepared. The sociopathic splinter group leader of the White Fang had trained with her for years, making him cold and efficient. They knew each other's moves like they knew each of their scars, intimately.

She wished she'd left the group lauding itself as the faunus rights movement earlier, had she not been so consumed by her need to fight she might have noticed his thirst for blood sooner. Maybe she could have done something about it…

Shaking her head, she figured she couldn't change the past, but _should_ shape a better future. There was no point in mourning her past failures. It wouldn't do anything but make it harder to learn from them.

She looked out to the beautiful city that lay before her. The lights twinkling as people moved beneath them, the military groups that had swarmed the school no longer visible.

How could she atone for something she didn't understand? Her encounter with Yang made it clear that they weren't friends, not anymore. She figured she probably needed to earn that right back after leaving them at Beacon.

She let a single tear fall, deciding she had to do something to remind them why she had been a part of their team. They would know her commitment to her team. Till then, she might as well enjoy the beautiful night.

End of Chapter 2

 **A/N: So, a short chapter this time, but it's necessary, as the next few chapters get really into the building of the main story, and really start to move things along. It's one of those stories with a bit more of a slow burn start. Also of note, I now have a Beta reading and helping me improve my writing. We're currently working on the next chapter.**

 **Chapters will hopefully be more consistent now, trying to balance stuff IRL with writing at the moment, so we'll see how far we get.**

 **Say Hi Jiu-Jitsu Dude**

 **JJD: Hey guys and gals! Looks like we've got another story going, and wouldn't you know it, it's got puns, angst, and violence. So, basically my drugs of choice. Excited to have you on board and to be working with Splice!**

 **Updates from here will hopefully be bi-weekly, but whose really to say?**


	3. Gears of Accord

Broken Blondes

Chapter 3: Gears of Accord

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Sunlight trickled in through the window, spilling light into the house on the cliff. The sun pierced the last shadows enshrining the slumbering occupants before the house began to stir.

It was early morning, the dawn was just cresting, drastic shadows making those wishing to sleep in curse the day. Others, namely one orange haired sugarfiend rose in promise of pancakes to start the day.

The covers of one particular blonde were comically pulled up and over their face to hide from the day. The girl attached to those golden locks didn't want to move a muscle, not after the previous night's disaster. The lack of sleep left her feeling heavy, as if she was weighed down by thousand pound weights. It wasn't her favorite way to start the day, but it was becoming all too normal.

Last night flooded back to her. She'd been unable to talk to the cat, which in hindsight, she didn't feel TOO bad about. The problem really rose when she thought of what she'd faced with her sister and Weiss only a few days ago, and how they'd been fighting a losing battle without their full team. Blake had shown up so late to the fight, it was if destiny itself wanted to make her seem useful.

It was an uncomfortable reality she needed to face, taking no pleasure in the prospect of working with someone who couldn't seem to demonstrate commitment when it counted. This obstacle was one that seemed insurmountable when the opportunity presented itself.

She couldn't _imagine_ what it might be like to be like that. She felt too guilty about letting her little sister go off without her. She'd have to sort it out eventually. No matter _how_ reluctant she might be.

With that, Yang groaned and threw the covers off herself, smoothly sliding from the bed to her feet. Her bed clothes were tossed to the wayside as she became aware of her surroundings.

She meandered to the shower. She needed a little 'me' time to truly greet the day she decided.

It was surprisingly lavish, despite the lack of room. The minimalist aesthetic was a nice touch that made it feel roomier than it might have otherwise felt. She decided to take full advantage of the early morning and relax.

The water pouring over her allowed her to cleanse herself of her personal doubts, melting away in the heat saturating every pore of her being, chasing away the morose nature of her thoughts.

The heat drew her smile from where it had retreated the night before, her mood lifting as comforting warmth flowed through her. No longer would she tolerate being robbed of heat. She enjoyed the sensation of feeling more alive for the moment.

The flames at the edges of her vision faded to background white noise as she allowed herself to relax. The heat brought with it a sense of strength, and eventually, the optimism she'd thought had long since abandoned her that night at Beacon.

She took care to wash her hair, not knowing what the day would hold, whether she would get a chance to do so again anytime soon. She treated it with love befitting her gorgeous golden strands, running her hands through it, any knots coming free from her efforts.

She admired its length for a moment, drawing a certain catharsis from running her hand through the soft strands, muted as it was given the missing hand. She was in such a state of pure sensation that it hardly mattered in that single moment that she would never truly be who she was before, and in fact lifted her spirits that she could continue to grow and learn to love herself in a way she'd not thought possible before. Maybe there was hope for today.

She emerged from the shower, clothed and ready to face the day, infinitely more invigorated. She allowed herself to revel in the feeling for a moment, before locking her mechanical arm into position. She felt a sense of alien-ness as she got used to moving the arm that was not her arm for a minute, before she settled into the feeling.

She glanced warily to the lantern, resting in the same place as the night before, its glow harder to notice in the bright morning light. She looked over its various symbols and vents allowing the ethereal incandescence to pass through it, casting a unique, almost _living_ shadow. The thought of something being alive was decidedly unsettling.

Resolving to leave it until she absolutely _had_ to move it, she opened her door... to see her Uncle Qrow standing tall and imposing in her doorway, about to knock.

His five-o-clock shadow, despite having been shaved, was sloppily done, evidence of having stayed up the night before. If she had to guess, it had to do with the attack on Haven and the headmaster's betrayal. In a sense, he looked haggard. Well… MORE haggard than usual, anyway.

Something that genuinely surprised her was the repugnant odor of cheap booze was surprisingly _less_ unbearable than usual, as if he had only started drinking in the last hour, and not very much.

For anyone _else_ , it would have been odd that they were drinking this early, but for her uncle, the fact that the stink of alcohol wasn't _much_ heavier was what made this stand out to her. She'd actually become accustomed to getting him home from the bar some nights. She'd learnt about restraint through him rather than her own mischief because he couldn't. It honestly felt like babysitting sometimes.

She raised an eyebrow questioningly, which Qrow ignored, content not to address the unasked question. "Good… you're up… We're having a meeting this morning about what to do with the Relic. I was just coming to take it off your hands."

Yang looked at him, not sure it was something she quite trusted him with. While she wouldn't have minded something that had caused her such immediate distress being taken off her shoulders, she was skeptical for someone like her uncle _or_ Ozpin being the one taking it from her. Her poor excuse for a mother had at least taught her that much.

All the years she had known him, and he had kept so much from her. She didn't like to distrust them, really, she would have _loved_ to relinquish it and be rid of it. The issue was their secrets had become too relevant to her and her team, putting them in dangerous situations because they didn't know enough to deal with the situation realistically.

She might even understand handing off the lantern to him, if her uncle's semblance hadn't been brought to light. Now that she thought about it, that might explain why she and Ruby could never beat him in any video game, no matter what they did… or why he tended to be so distant, despite training Ruby to use her Scythe.

He'd seemed distraught after seeing her sister struggle for a few years while he was a teacher at Signal. Yang might have also contributed to his willingness with her demands. As it was, she was silently grateful that she had received more hands-on training with her dad.

She smiled to herself for a second, thinking how her dad had always seemed to keep his cool during training, now that she thought about it…. She couldn't explain how she had developed her power temper semblance, thinking it made the most sense from her mom, but that had been dashed when he'd bothered to explain it, and when she remembered seeing part of it first-hand.

"I think that's something our team should discuss first; your semblance seems like a bit of problem with a transport mission doesn't it? Someone else should carry something THAT important."

Qrow looked down at her, as if annoyed she bothered to make a good point. "well… that's kinda the point of the meeting…. we wouldn't mind having you along… Ruby's familiarity with Ironwood would be a bonus."

Oh.

That raised an eyebrow. She'd not been informed of her sister's friendly relationship with Atlas's Headmaster. "Fine, let me talk with the rest of my team…"

Qrow nodded mutedly, and let her pass, muttering something about being too sober for this. She looks over her shoulder as she walks away, catching a glance of him taking a swig from his flask.

* * *

Yang shook her head as she knocks on Weiss' door. It swung inward noiselessly. Ruby was already sitting on the bedside table of the room with Weiss herself sitting on the side of the bed.

The room was tidy, as expected of the Ice Queen. Unlike her own room, everything was pristine, and seemed arranged in an order. Something about the fact that everything seemed to have its place elegantly designed to balance it.

Little of Weiss' equipment from Beacon had been brought with her, so it was mostly absent. In spite of this, there was an air of regality in its presentation that spoke of her disciplined upbringing. It seemed even rebelling against her parents didn't seem to change that at a habitual level.

Yang looked to her sister, who despite her position of Team RWBY's leader, was often the most childish of all of them. She was wearing the "Battle Skirt" she'd been wearing every day since they had been reunited.

Ruby looked at Yang, her silver eyes reflecting an emotion that Yang had hoped never to see on her sister again. Quiet, morose introspection. It seemed to be all she'd been witness to lately. It was incredibly unnerving. She had been holding strong for so long without her big sister, now that she was here, Ruby was an open book. Her sister's feelings had been laid out on her sleeve.

It made Yang's big sister instincts weep to protect her.

Reflexively, she went to envelop her sister in a hug, before offering her arm to Weiss. She couldn't help but think of the white haired girl as extended family now; no matter how things started between them.

She might have teased the Ice Queen at Beacon for her cold and at times even heartless behavior, but it was crystal clear that her time both at Beacon as well as back with her father had had a drastic effect on her attitude. Yang could probably take _some_ of the credit for getting her to loosen up a bit and be more friendly.

Their past squabbles were all behind them now, as the reality of Anima's situation set in. If only it could be said for all members of her team. There was still something uneasy about the whole arrangement. It was probably written on her face that she didn't know how to feel about the woman with no spine on their _team_. In fact, both Weiss _and_ Ruby had done their utmost to dissuade her frustrations… to no avail.

Once they broke out of their group embrace, Yang looked to Ruby for a moment, her expression hard and determined. It was fitting for the blonde bruiser. "Rubes, Drunkle Qrow wants to take the relic to Atlas".

Ruby nods, "That's what Ozpin said to him right? They need to bring it there?"

"Right" Yang confirmed.

Ruby cracked a grin, "When do we leave?"

She'd heard all she needed to make her decision. She knew she'd be going one way or another, Ruby just confirmed it. "Well, why do we need to go back? I don't want to go right back to my prison cell…" Weiss interjected.

Yang and Ruby looked at Weiss… in that moment realizing that her father would likely take advantage of her return to bring her back to the same empty building she had just escaped… again. They hadn't even considered it when they thought of Atlas.

Weiss, seeing their eyes on her, conflicted feelings plain to see blurted out, "I… I mean… for the good of Remnant, as Huntresses, it must….it …it _is_ our duty to protect something as special as this... but it doesn't mean I _like_ the idea of going right back to Atlas..."

Yang visibly relaxed at this, her motherly side taking over, compassion evident in her eyes. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. Nobody would blame you. I know I certainly wouldn't."

Weiss looks up at Yang, tears in her eyes, refusing to fall. The blonde continues. "You've been through enough as it is…. It's incredible you were still willing to fight after everything that happened…"

Weiss smiled at that, nodding her head. "You _may_ have a point, but I've _also_ just re-united with my team, and I can't leave them behind NOW. What do I look like? _Blake?!_ "

The room goes silent for a moment, Ruby was petrified, glaring at her teammate, as if she'd been betrayed on some secret accord. Weiss realized her mistake, and went to correct herself, "I! I Mean! I don't want to lose you guys again..."

The blonde can't help but crack a smile. She couldn't help herself. She had to. "It's _Ice_ to have you back Queenie."

The mood effectively dead, Weiss rolls her eyes, "You were soooo close to being sincere. Now I _need_ to come, if just to shelter your sister from your awful puns."

Yang can't help but laugh at this. "You're too cold Weiss. I'd thought you'd have warmed up to me by now."

Weiss visibly winces. "I'm going to regret this aren't I?"

Yang broke into a megawatt grin, and Weiss can't help but wonder just how much Yang's optimism had rubbed off on Ruby. She put her hand on Yang's shoulder before looking her in the eyes. "We started this together, and it's only right that we end it as one."

Yang's smile shifts from self-amusement to genuine gratefulness. She looks at Ruby, who rolled her eyes, squeaking chipperly, "Well, I already said I'm going Yang, you know I had your back, you don't even have to ask. It's what sisters do" Yang glances down for a second, before Ruby looks at Weiss, "and besties like Weiss!"

Weiss seemed to struggle with her inner self at this childish remark, her eye twitching as she fought for control, before reaffirming again. "Right!"

"Helloooo ladies! what's going on?"

The girls turned their heads to the door, the moment ruined. Blake stood in the doorway awkwardly, this time flanked by someone who they'd only seen leave her side for his own bedroom.

Sun Wukong.

He was an ally that had traveled with Blake on her way here to Mistral. She seemed more comfortable with him now than with them, a change Yang was more than aware of.

Blake and Sun's expressions were appropriately night and day of each other. Blake was clearly very tense and self-conscious being back in front of her past team, after running out on them _**again**_. Sun, almost in comical contrast to his gloomy compatriot was smiling brightly enough to rival Yang's own megawatt grin from minutes earlier.

The impact of their presence was immediate. Yang's demeanor noticeably soured, though not as much as it had when it had only been Blake.

Ruby and Weiss were more welcoming, with Ruby waving to Blake and Sun energetically, happy to see them again. Weiss was back to a regal composure, though more relaxed. "Sun, have you heard from Neptune lately?" She inquired tentatively.

Sun's expression changed from excited, to sheepish, before scratching his head, much as Jaune might have at Beacon if he were asked any question. It was strange to see the normally silver-tongued monkey faunus in the hot-seat for once.

He hadn't seen them in several months at this point. "Well… if I had to guess… honestly? I think Neptune and the gang are probably headed too Vacuo at this point. Back to the homelands basically. It's been a while since we visited."

Weiss took this in, while attempting not to let her disappointment show, especially given her having to deal with her father in Atlas weighing on her mind.

Yang by contrast, was much more direct and to the point, "We're heading for Atlas, Ozpin wants to move the relic."

Blake seemed concerned by this, though she wasn't completely clear what a relic WAS, given her extended adventures with the new reformed Faunus Freedom Alliance hadn't given her much time to catch up yet.

In that time, they had never encountered one, outside of the lamp Yang had produced from the vault of the Spring Maiden two nights previous.

Her parents and her people had retreated to the city outskirts. She had her concerns about leaving them behind and wanted to at least let them know where she was going before she left, a lesson left over from when she had realized how much it hurt to see them again.

She looked at Yang, who appeared like she wanted to be anywhere but in this room. It was galaxies different from the vibe she and Sun had intruded on. "I want to come too, I've been gone too long."

Yang looked to Blake, as if realizing she had spoken. Her _partner_ seemed to be looking anywhere but at her. It figured.

Yang's eyes had little warmth to them, not to the point of shifting from their normal lilac to a blood red. "If you come with us, you're _WITH_ us, one hundred percent, no more running… We don't need a _coward_."

Her words were hard, unapologetic, as if fighting back a scream. The room had become noticeably warmer for all involved.

Blake looked evenly at her, finally holding her gaze. The cat-eared girl was clearly on the edge of a sharp retort. Just as Yang was about to cut her off, Blake seemed to change her mind and nodded solemnly.

Yang had good reason to be upset. She remembered when Blake had been about to run off to find some orange haired hooligan on no sleep, how impulsive she could be. More importantly, she remembered the story she'd told the girl about Raven, her _real_ mom. The one she'd wished she'd never learned about. The _runner_.

Yang nodded, "Guess I'll tell the old qrow what we've decided then."

"Waaaaaitttt, Yaaaaaang, I'm the leader, _I_ should be the one announcing it!"

"Feel free to join me"

"Yeah!"

Yang was just glad to escape from the tension of Weiss' bedroom... Also her sister kinda had a point.

* * *

The living room was cozy, with two couches facing each other, another to the far wall, the dinner table behind that, and a low table between the couches. Jaune and Ren were in the middle of a game of chess on opposing couches.

Seeing Jaune and his team sitting at the table, they have a brief greeting before turning to Qrow and Ozpin in separate chairs. Oz… or was it Oscar? looked mostly at ease, while Qrow was clearly in a minor drunken stupor, having fixed his sobriety problem.

As they approached, Qrow's eyes become sharp and aware. Before they stop, he calls to them, "So?... What's the game plan?... Yang?... Ruby?".

They looked at each other, nodding wordlessly, never really needing to speak to know the other's thoughts. It wasn't just the discussion from earlier, it was how well they knew each other.

An air of expectation permeated the room. Ruby spoke, the passion evident in her voice, "We are coming with you and the Relic to Atlas. No _way_ are we letting this go now. We've already defended two schools' relics. Might as well go for the whole collection."

Jaune perked up, he jumped to his feet and, voice just barely cracking from nerves, "I'm going too!"

The air of tension immediately broken, Ozcar merely shaking his head, while Qrow chuckles to himself. Oz looked at the boy with what could only be pity. "I'd advise against such things Mr. Arc… after all, we've all been through a lot, no need to put yourself in any unnecessary danger."

Jaune seemed annoyed he was being so easily dismissed, before Oz continued. " I think it would be best if you stayed here, or went back to see your family. I'm sure your sisters are missing you."

These words took all the air out of Jaune for a moment, before he glares at Qrow, his expression now set in determination, standing straight again. His voice carried an edge of anger. "You don't seem opposed to team RWBY going."

Oscar's brow furrowed at this, as if not expecting such resistance. It didn't help that the kid had a point. "Mr. Arc, team RWBY has proven themselves on more than one occasion, and if we didn't agree, we would have taken the relic by force."

Jaune glares at Oz, for it _was_ Oz talking, the man who had been responsible in part for his teammate's demise. "Honestly, I can't go back to my family, and I would hate myself if I didn't at least _try_ to see the thing that Pyrrha gave her life for to the end. I have a responsibility for _that much_ at the very least."

Jaune had decided, clear to everyone that this was something he wasn't willing to bend on. His normally nasally and shaky voice was clear and unwavering, bordering on aggressive. It was a welcome change from his typical stuttering, if Yang could say anything of it.

Just as it seemed that Ozcar was looking to retort, Nora spoke up, "If our fearless leader thinks it's something he's gotta do, then we HAAAFTA stand by him no matter what, isn't that _right_ Renny?!"

Without looking if her partner agreed or not, she continued, "he's _always_ got our support to back him up. YEEEEAHHH!"

Nora made several gestures in attempt to solidify her points, to which Oscar only laughed, a voice that was clearly only his, instead of the strange simultaneous echo of Ozpin and Oscar that they had become used to. "I'd never say no to having you guys by my side. I think it's great. Oz says we probably shouldn't expect things to be easy though."

Qrow broke in, "It's cold in Atlas, and if you aren't used to it, you might not do too well. You'll all need new clothes to deal with the temperature."

He glanced at Yang and Ruby, blithely pointing out Ruby's battle skirt. Ruby coloured, "It's a _COMBAT_ SKIRT Okaaaaay?!"

Yang can't help but laugh at her immediate defensiveness. "Careful Rubes! Don't want Jaune seeing too much, right?"

Her sister glared daggers at her, while Yang just cackles evilly, seeing her sister blush. Ruby grumbles out, "It's comfortable, cute… and I can move quickly in it"

Yang grabbed her sister in a noogie, before relenting "I know sis, don't worry. Your big sister is here to protect you from lechers like _him_ anyway."

She can't help but grin. Jaune however, was indignant at this, and got up from where he'd settled from his impassioned speech to protest, " _Excuse_ ME! I _have_ standards you know!"

Yang looked Jaune up and down, evaluating. Taking in his Pumpkin Pete hoodie on full display, debating in her mind whether to take him seriously, "Does that mean Ruby isn't good enough for you?!"

He paled… there was no way to answer that without getting punched. He wisely chose to remain silent.

She stuck out her tongue before looking back to Oscar. "Guess that means a SHHHOOOOPPPING TRIIIIP!"

Jaune rolled his eyes, while Ruby got a far-off look in her own, probably thinking of all the ways she could modify Crescent Rose to work in the icy conditions of Atlas.

With their accord set in stone, Yang headed off to inform the rest of their team… and Sun.

* * *

Jaune, having made his intentions clear, can't help a self-satisfied smirk grace his features - somehow more suited to him than it would have even a few short months ago. It's quick to slip however, as Jaune's self-consciousness creeped back to him, and he settled back into his seat opposite Ren to finish their game of Chess.

Ruby, coming down from her weapon-dream induced stupor, walked towards Jaune at the table; and casually asks to start a game with Jaune next.

Jaune can't resist, "Careful about your combat skirt"

Ruby just rolled her eyes. "Pfft, right..."

Ren, seeing this as a good opportunity to have the two leaders test their tactical prowess, tells them he'd abdicate the game, and goes to meditate. Nora, of course, dutifully follows to almost _certainly_ disrupt his focus.

Jaune looked across to Ruby skeptically before he resets the chess board with a practiced fluidity. Ruby, who clearly wanted to discuss something with him has a strange look in her eyes. "Jaune… I just wanna make clear, what Yang said before…. She's just bugging us."

He scratched the back of his neck, attempting in vain to cover his embarrassment over the entire affair. "Honestly, I'm just surprised she thinks I'm dumb enough to make a move like that. I've known you as a little sister for too long"

Ruby bursts out laughing at this. Jaune eyed her quizzically, before she reassured him she wasn't interested in him that way. "I've got Crescent Rose to think of after all…. How would my baby feel?!"

This time it was Jaune who couldn't help but laugh at her obsession, though it made sense to him. She could always depend on her weapon, she had made it to be perfectly in tune with her style of combat, adding to her insane mobility. They were more one than any person could probably hope to live up to.

He wondered if he might have had the same connection with his weapon if, rather than being an heirloom, he'd built something for his own tastes and style. He looked to where his sword and sheath lay, smiling. He was probably a sucker for the classics though. He was sure Ruby would have agreed.

Jaune moved his pawn forward, before finally asking the obvious question, "So, what did you want to know about 'the strategist' now that I have my weapon back?"

Ruby looked at him in confusion for a moment, before the realization hit her, and her eyes narrowed. "Weeeelll, I just wanted to say I really appreciate your team's support since Beacon… and even before then. Any time me and my team needed a friend, you've been more than willing to step up. Specifically, when it came to getting here, with no other real plans… It was something I definitely should have consulted the 'strategist' about beforehand."

She looked away from him when she said this, as if her frustration with her own brash behavior could be adequately expressed in that one simple motion.

Jaune decided it best not to press. "Annnyway, You've noticed the tension between Blake and Yang right? That might make it difficult to work together…"

Ruby's face goes slack, pouting momentarily, finally settling into a more hopeful expression, and Jaune realized he had just asked the _wrong question_. "weeellll actually, that was kiiiinda what I wanted to talk to you about…"

He merely raises an eyebrow in question, before scratching the back of his neck self-consciously. "What do you mean? Don't you know them better? They ARE your teammates after all…"

Ruby nods timidly, before her expression hardens in determination, "I _know_ that Jaune, Weiss and I have already talked to Yang about this. It didn't go well... we're going to try and explain things to Blake when we get the chance."

Jaune's confusion at his relevance only multiplied at this, but he let her continue. "anyway, if things end up getting a little out of hand between them, I'd just appreciate it if you wouldn't mind keeping them from ripping each other apart, we could use all the help we can get."

Jaune shrugs nonchalantly before replying sardonically "Seems easy enough… just keep two of the strongest women I know from being at each other's throats… meanwhile, I'm the weakest among either team…"

His tone loses its air of hopelessness, beaten out by concern, "how are you doing by the way? The last few weeks have been hectic compared to the trek across Mistral"

Ruby nods, choosing to ignore his earlier sarcasm. "Thanks again for coming with me… here that is…"

Ruby looks at Jaune, trying to discern his expression, which Jaune returns with a lighthearted smile. "I don't know how much help I've been, but I'm glad we could watch out for each other in the end. So long as you keep a positive mindset, I think we can keep going, we'll have team RWBY's back anytime you need it."

Jaune's voice was strong and determined now, before putting his hand on Ruby's shoulder, a reminder of his confidence in her leadership. His support not unlike she had provided him when he had started out.

With that, he proceeded to move his Queen into position to put Ruby into Checkmate. Seeing this, Ruby's nose crinkled in a thoroughly irritated gesture, given his pep talk immediate beforehand. "Jaune… There's _no_ way that was fair."

Jaune just shrugged, "Guess that's why I'm the _strategist_."

She got up to go to Weiss' room again and discuss their plan to reach Atlas. Jaune himself got up then, before heading out the balcony, sword and shield in hand and smirk playing across his lips. "I've got my hands full now…" he muttered under his breath.

* * *

Yang watched this from the hallway, the way Jaune handled the situation, his dedication to help Ruby and their team. Then, her issues with Blake rose to the topic of conversation.

 _I haven't helped the situation… maybe I should talk to her about this... Gotta make Ruby proud of her big sister after all…_

That in mind, she set off towards her room, content to start things out on the right foot with her former partner this time, her head held high. To the brightest horizon!

End of Chapter 3

* * *

 **SKR: Sooo, something that's become increasingly apparent in my particular writing style that I need to watch is that I write some.. in-tense stuff. What I mean to say is my writing is very stage director-y, which JJD has really been helping me fight against and catch, keeping me from being a confusing mess, or at times a little TOO bleak for the intended vibe… Don't worry that comes** _ **later.**_

 **JJD:** **It caught me off guard the first time I read through haha. I was starting to wonder if we were going to be casting people next (I'm pulling for Tom Holland as Jaune!). As for the bleak part...you guys all look like strong swimmers, I'm sure you can keep your heads above water**

 **.**

 **.**

 **A/N:**

 **Here's the first "sort of" indicator of where the story is going for now, Next chapter is a minor sneak peek of Jaune's new semblance, get ready for it.**


	4. Pain and Progress

Broken Blondes

Chapter 4

Pain and Progress

Jaune slid the door to the balcony open, seeing Nora, normally excitable and bombastic, was looking at the city, in quiet reflection, much as he had been the previous night.

The stillness of the girl was eerie. Maybe Ren had somehow found a place where she couldn't get at the sugar.

He certainly hoped so.

Ren meditated against the wall facing her, his eyes closed. The pair looked serene, which was utterly out of place for at least one of them. The ninja was known for his silence, so this was really nothing new.

Finally, after a small eternity, he coughed, breaking their single-minded focus. "Hey guys! Sorry about earlier… We've got a bit of a task ahead of us."

Ren opened a single eye to look at Jaune, before nodding sagely, probably thinking it was just the journey ahead with RWBY. Nora smiled wide at his return, her demeanor rapidly evolving from the quiet and collected to the bombastic and excitable girl he was familiar with. "Hey there fearless leader! What's the plan for Atlas!?"

So much for his sugar theory. _Oh well_.

Jaune chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, there's that too, but we might be keeping tabs on Yang or Blake, so they don't kill each other. Seems we've been given the hard job in place of Weiss or Ruby… Typical."

Ren didn't bother opening his eyes this time, completely ignoring the other boy's sarcasm. "They _have_ been tense around each other. An outburst is to be expected. The real question is what do they expect us to do about it."

Jaune turned his attention back to the man, once again astounded by his perceptiveness, nodding. "That's definitely the feeling I got from Ruby during chess, and yeah, that's really the major question for me too."

He didn't feel like talking about the events of last night, even to his closest friends. His new family. The moment felt oddly intimate. It felt like something that might just add unnecessary confusion.

That it would force him to explain why he'd been up so late to begin with didn't make it any more appealing an idea. It was not a discussion he wanted to have. Not today. Maybe not ever.

Nora, ever the transparent one, was quick to respond. "I call dibs on Yang, she's soooo much less... brooody, ya know?!"

Jaune snorted, holding back a laugh. "You just want to deal with someone who's an actual challenge in a fight, don't you?"

"Toooootally!"

The thrill was evident in her voice. Jaune merely rolled his eyes. There was no way this could backfire. "Alright you guys, I wanted to try something with my Semblance. Gotta get stronger for Atlas."

They turned to look at him, inquisitive.

"You know how I said it felt more like I was amplifying Weiss' aura before? I want to see if I can do it again, deliberately this time."

Ren smiled, "It would be a valuable team boost."

Nora jumped up excitedly at the opportunity. "Oh! Pick me! PICK ME! PLEEEEAAAASSEE?"

Despite her enthusiasm, Jaune was pretty intent on practicing with someone who _wasn't_ likely to destroy the balcony in the process, even if they DID only have a few more days before they left. He didn't want to risk anything too crazy. Not with a hundred foot drop beneath them. He hadn't improved his landing strategy yet. "Nora, let me try on someone less dangerous first"

Nora's face fell, "awww"

Ren merely nodded confirmation, knowing where his teammate was going with this. Jaune smiled, "thanks man, I don't think we could afford the repairs from a Nora bomb when we need to grab stuff for the trip."

Nora pouted indignantly.

Jaune stood at Ren's side and Nora stepped away from them, muttering something about explosions. Jaune's hand came to rest on Ren's shoulder, whose calm aura steadied Jaune's nerves, which might have just been his Semblance honestly.

Jaune took a deep breath and focused on trying to pull his Semblance out, looking for any scrap of the same power he'd felt from before inside the deepest depths of himself. The kind that filled him so completely that it needed some kind of outlet. He needed to bring that overflowing strength back to himself.

He tried.

In the end, there was nothing. No feeling of energy, no crackling power that set his every sense on fire. He couldn't quite put into words the disappointment he felt at not seeing glowing palms. Not a flicker whatsoever. Not even a fizzle.

He looked at his hands in disappointment. Maybe he wasn't trying hard enough? Was his ability to save Weiss a fluke? His mind turned dark at the thought. Hopefully he didn't need to have someone's life be in jeopardy to access the power that could save lives.

He couldn't let this be his reality. He refused to let himself fail here. He'd finally achieved what he and his team thought was his Semblance. It _definitely_ wasn't a fluke. _Nope_. He wouldn't consider that possibility

 _-10 attempts later-_.

Was this just them being hopeful? Did it not mean anything? He couldn't let it slip away from him. He was finally progressing in a meaningful way. The tears in his eyes took a herculean effort to suppress.

 _-30 attempts later-_

Ren looked on patiently, feeling nothing but his leader's hand grip his shoulder tighter and tighter with each passing moment, while Nora's expression was warped by evident concern, recognizing the tears starting to form at the edge of Jaune's vision despite his best efforts. She knew the look well, every night he'd come back to the dorm having dealt with Cardin Winchester he'd looked similarly defeated.

Previously, he'd found strength by standing up to his bully with help from his legendary teammate Pyrrha, the pride of Mistral. She'd used her semblance to help him at the time, but he'd found the power to push through because he didn't realize it.

The pinkette had confidence he'd be able to do the same here, even with the lack of success filling his mind. She had faith in his determination. There _was_ a reason she called him fearless leader after all… and it wasn't ALLLL sarcasm.

 _-5 attempts later-_

Jaune decided maybe it wasn't specifically something he'd be able to call up at will yet, as it had been a gut reflex he'd not really understood at the time. His adrenaline had been running high, he'd nearly lost someone else.

Maybe it was something that required his adrenaline to be running high to properly activate? He turned to Nora. "Nora, I need you to slap me."

Nora's expression was a mix of glee and confusion, which she tried to hide with little success. She had no idea why Jaune would ask her to hit him. She wasn't going to tell him that.

He knew her strength rivaled even Yang Xiao Long, the dragon of Beacon. Eclipsed the blonde brawler, in _her_ opinion actually.

Jaune saw the trepidation on her face, which his expression seemed to relax. "Something needs to trigger adrenaline to activate my semblance… I think," he finally explained rather simply.

This seemed to placate any regrets Nora might have had at the prospect of hitting the clearly more fragile man. "It's a good thing you're a healer Jauney." She quipped as she cracked her knuckles.

She proceeded to wind up her hand, concern mounting on Jaune's face as he immediately regretted his decision.

 _This was a horrible idea!_

Nora moved quickly forward, across his face.

SMACK

The mark faded quickly, the adrenaline in his system kickstarting as his aura came to life, his mind somehow transported to the sensation of being slapped by Weiss so many months ago when he'd had an admittedly foolish infatuation with her. His mind raced as it gravitated to a much more raw memory that kept him awake at night.

* * *

 _The room was enveloped in chaos, people running everywhere, dread was the pit of his stomach, as someone he had so deeply admired, even lusted after for a short period of time, lay dying at his feet._

 _He could almost feel her aura fading, her eyes glassy, unseeing._

 _His fear for her life elevated his adrenaline, which had already been pumping overtime, into a superhuman level of awareness that he couldn't express with words. Everything was in focus, he saw everything._

 _It defied any kind of description. No amount of explanation could come close. It was like he was both aware of everything, and yet not overwhelmed, but clear and focused._

 _His eyes shut out everything around him on command. He closed them, trying to figure out what was going on and his ears seemed to amplify the chaos and haunting silence around him. Finally, the agony was too much, as he felt what was left of Weiss begin to slip away._

 _As he kneeled over her, his hands began to tingle, supernatural pins and needles. As he opened his eyes, there was a glowing blue-white energy that radiated from his elbows out to the ends of his fingers. The energy flowed out from them. He laid his hands near Weiss, and the energy began to surge outwards, towards the wound, her aura becoming more clearly defined as he added to its strength, glowing a stark white._

 _Slowly, and without realizing how he knew it was happening, the wound stopped bleeding internally, as he was mentally forcing it closed, even beginning to reverse the gruesome damage he could see._

 _It seemed like he was saving her! What was this? Then, he realized it wasn't specifically him that was healing it. He didn't know how, but it seemed like his aura was merely guiding Weiss' to heal herself faster. Just as he realized this, his vision darkened, blacking out._

* * *

Jaune opened his eyes to see his hand, resting on Ren's shoulder, had lit up again in supernatural iridescence. The energy field flowed towards Ren from the contact. The sensation seemed to take time affecting Ren, until he realized that Ren's green aura had become bright as day to him. It was almost like a christmas tree actually.

He tore his focus away from it just enough to hear Ren tell him that he should stop. He was confused for a moment, the distraction enough to stop the flow of energy from his hand, Ren's aura becoming invisible once more.

Ren looked at Jaune before his eyes shifted to Nora's reaction, which was only just changing from fear and confusion to relief and eventually landing on excitement. Nora burst out, "You guys were FLICKERING! Like, you were almost invisible. That's SOOOO COOOOL! How'd you do that?!"

Jaune looked at Ren in confusion, who simply shrugged. "Perhaps your semblance works to amplify or modify the aura of those you come into contact with?" He suggested.

"Hmm… this might be useful, imagine how we could use this in battle! Let's do this one more time!"

Jaune's expression went from pensive, to hopeful, to excited as scenarios began flitting through his mind. If he could get Ren to flicker, then maybe he could use this in new and different ways he hadn't expected. He wasn't just a healer then.

He had a few ideas about application that he wanted to test out. He smiled. Today was going to be a good day. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was really moving forward.

* * *

Yang was annoyed, to say the least. Swallowing her pride wasn't something she was used to doing. As such… she wasn't looking forward to a discussion with Blake. Not one bit. Her fists were balled from the effort of holding back a scream of frustration.

To her it seemed like Blake should be the one begging at her feet as apology for running out on them. Blake betrayed her… them… after _everything_ … that kind of betrayal was something she only knew once before. She'd opened up to Blake about her trust issues only _months_ maybe less before things went to shit. The faunus girl had even warned her, multiple times, that she was a coward.

Yang couldn't help but scowl… how could she be so blind? She didn't like to feel stupid. It was bad enough people thought she was some bimbo at first glance.

After learning that her mother had left her father for some tribe…? It was painful beyond reason, she should have seen it coming… It felt all too familiar now.

The ninja couldn't seem to stay anywhere… why should she even be surprised it happened? Vanishing into the night without even a word of goodbye, or a reason why. More than anything else… that part hurt.

A tear crawled from her eye, ice cold against her burning skin, like she was on fire. It was reasonable, considering. The flames behind her eyes tickled, making their presence known, whispering temptingly sweet nothings in her ears to unleash her fury.

Finally, she could stew no longer, as she'd arrived at the door of Blake's temporary room.

Her teeth locked together, irritation and determination mixing together. She was determined to make things right between them, no matter the cost. She missed her teammate. She probably wasn't the only one, if she still knew her as well as she thought.

The edges of her vision blurred, her surroundings beginning to smell, almost of burning. It was suffocating just to be around. This was a new, more alien, sensation with her semblance. Before it had been all power and ferocity, now it was fear and loss of control. It was if her ability had changed to consume her.

The flames that licked at the edge of her vision were pressing down on her like a weight, threatening to explode outward to engulf the entire hallway as her frustrations were coming to a literal boil. Her eyes teared up further as she struggled to hold in her frustration overwhelming her senses and compelling her to act on her emotions. Her metal fingers creaked, as the metal began to warp under the pressure of her clenched fist.

Her dad had warned her about this, subtlety might not quite be his strong suit, but he _had_ warned her. Her emotions were invariably linked to her semblance. This made control - something she'd never thought about - paramount in getting stronger.

She could almost feel the direction this conversation was going to head. It hadn't even started, _hell_ she hadn't even knocked, yet her body was threatening to melt the door and the unfortunate occupants of the room.

The door taunted her with the apprehension of what knocking meant. Her emotions were everywhere, flitting from angry, sad, and apathetic in quick succession. She stood there, in her orange t-shirt, the hallway seeming to strain.

She realized she couldn't have this discussion yet.

If she did, it was as likely to be fists flying as words. As much as Blake probably deserved it, she didn't want that… Ruby would be disappointed. She had to be the bigger person.

She went to knock.

* * *

 _She was back at Beacon, or, more accurately, what was left of it, when she spotted something in the window of one of the rooms. It seemed like the cafeteria maybe? She couldn't be a hundred percent sure in the chaos._

 _She'd been drawn in by voices. The situation seemed dire, and whatever the case, the person inside might need help. She recognized one of the voices, though it seemed to be terrified, worse than when she'd been up countless nights trying to track down Roman Torchwick._

 _Her expression went from concern to bleached white with fear when she saw Blake, cowering, somehow totally defenseless in the wake of a demonic looking man with blood red hair. She couldn't see his face, but the horns that protruded from his head said everything she needed to know._

 _This was a faunus, and if it was holding its own against Blake, winning even, it was clearly no joke. The jacket it wore was entirely unlike any white fang uniform she'd seen before. Could he be a high-ranking member? Or did he know Blake from before? What was going on?_

 _Her mind raced with fear and confusion, turning to anger. She let the emotion build, pouring strength into her body. She was stronger than a hundred Ursa in the space of a single instant._

 _Before she understood what was happening, her anger overwhelmed her senses, the fire flooding her vision, flowing from every facet of herself, consuming everything, she screamed out, half a battle cry and half a scream of world tilted as she lunged forward in a divine rage._

 _She was unstoppable now; her semblance would make this one hit all she needed. She knew it would connect before she even launched. That was all she needed, to knock this demon who destroyed the confidence of her partner down a peg. It would be easy._

 _All these thoughts flew through her mind in the instant between her launching into the air and being within a foot of striking distance… and then, something was off. She lost balance in the air, her weight was off somehow._

 _What? What was going on?! No! It was impossible! She couldn't even process anything enough to scream, her side feeling empty, rather than painful, what she would have at least welcomed to add to her strength. Instead, it was a cold emptiness. She realized it must be shock._

 _She landed in a heap, not moving. She wasn't sure if she was paralyzed with a fear she had never known she could feel again, or if she was unconscious, and this was what it was to feel this way. Everything faded to black for a sickening moment._

* * *

She left the door closed, walking to her room, slamming her own door shut, content to simmer in the midday light. "Damn it all to hell…"

* * *

Ruby walked with purpose, the determination on her face etched from stone. Her normally soft expression made the shift downright unsettling. She needed to speak with Weiss. She _was_ going to bring her up to speed. Truly up to speed.

She'd told her partner to meet on the practice floor, where she could talk with her actions, as she had been itching to do. So much time sitting around doing nothing, had made her hungry for a real challenge in combat. She needed more than RNJ to spar with.

She wasn't built for sedentary life. This much she knew with absolute certainty. It drained her more than fighting an entire pack of beowolves… not that those had ever been an issue for her. Not since... a long time ago. She'd made particularly sure of it. Combat energized her like little else.

Reaching the bottom step to the training area, she resisted the urge to grab Crescent Rose, opting to work on her hand to hand. Her partner held a kendo Shinai in a single hand with a sense of comfort that spoke of her discipline. With the white haired girl holding it, it could easily prove to be a deadly weapon, should she want it to be.

When Ruby stepped out into the middle of the court, no oversized gardening tool to be seen, Weiss was the first to speak, Ruby's choice spurring her curiosity. "So, mind telling me what you called me down here for? Besides a little sparring?"

Ruby settled into a relaxed stance, hands up, a boxer style like her sister. She watched Weiss' wooden training blade dance lazily back and forth as the girl talked, following her opponent as she moved. "Isn't it obvious? I wanted to spend a little time de-stressing with my best FRIEND!"

On this last word, Ruby lunged for Weiss, seeing an opening with an aggressive jab. The girl smirked before rather daintily sidestepping her attack, focus clearly only mildly on the fight, casually dancing away from her former leader, who'd left herself wide open.

The Schnee girl couldn't help but smirk at the determination on display, the minor adjustments in stance she made as she dodged Ruby's poorly thought out strikes. With her own weapon, and Ruby without hers, the comfort level was suitably stacked in her favor. She almost didn't bother to return the attacks. Almost.

As the hooded girl expected, Weiss quickly grew tired of evasion and moved to advance. The switch in footing was subtle, but she couldn't help but smirk. "There we GO!"

As Weiss swept forward in a simple lunge, her confidence mounted. Ruby twisted with superhuman speed away from her attacker's surrogate rapier, grabbing the hilt, and pulling Weiss close to her, the rapier still in hand.

Ruby moved to throw Weiss over her shoulder, only for her former teammate to use it to flip gracefully onto her feet over the redhead's arm and swipe at her with the wooden blade, freed by the movement. Ruby scowled as she retreated out of range of the deadly stick.

Attempting to maintain the upper hand, she slid under the Ice Queen's blade in her next attack, before being nearly elbowed by Weiss, who'd recovered from the stunning show of aggression on Ruby's part.

Ruby lost her balance, disoriented, tumbling onto the floor in a heap of ruffled battle dress, and haphazard red hood. "Alright, for real this time… what's on your mind? You've been more determined than ever lately... I mean… you're not any _better_ at hand to hand than I remember, but still. It's like sparring with a less skilled Yang." Weiss remarked, her mood suddenly more serious.

Ruby glared up at the dainty woman opposite her, she didn't know if she was prouder of how far her partner had come under her leadership, or how far she'd come without it in the last six-ish months.

It was nice to know she'd been compared to her sister, the indomitable queen of hand to hand at Beacon, even if it came attached to typical Schee condescension. "I've fought my sister, that's a compliment!"

Weiss' eyebrow raised. Ruby only frowned in return.

Finally, she sighed, resigned. "I maaay have learned something since the Fall of Beacon about myself, which I've been trying to understand. More importantly, I don't want to need Crescent Rose for everything, even if she IS my daughter."

"And when did you finally learn _that_ lesson? Was it Glynda mentioning it for the millionth time?"

Ruby coloured at that. She _knew_ that might have come up. Damn the crop-wielding woman's perceptiveness. Maybe she should have _paid attention_ in that class more. Clearly it was coming back to bite her. "Actually… It was when I was fighting with Roman. When I didn't have my scythe, I nearly lost every fight. If my team wasn't there, or the grimm didn't eat him..."

"Wait… He was eaten by a GRIMM?"

"I know, I know, and he was working with Cinder."

"Well, that's just ironic..."

"Sooooo, getting back on topic, I can't always rely on my baby, so I gotta get good with more than just her."

Weiss rolled her eyes at her partner's odd obsession rearing its head, before her curiosity over her earlier statement became apparent. "How exactly do you plan to do that?"

Ruby simply continued. "So… You know how I have Silver Eyes?"

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 4

 **A/N: First of all, I want to say, Happy Holidays to those who celebrate!**

 **JJD continues to be an awesome Beta, he's really helping me to get a clearer idea of what I want to say with the chapters here, and better inform me for the chapters I am currently writing. I hope you all are excited for the next few.**

 **So, this chapter is starting to show some hints of stuff to come, let me know what you think, what you want to see in future chapters, and if you guys like the shifting of protagonists like this. This will still be a Yang x Jaune fic, but it's not going to ignore a lot of the elements that previous parts of the story set up as conflicts, while also bringing in a few elements of its own for them to more seriously deal with. No spoilers, but it's not going to be all roses and recovery. Next chapter…. Roses and recovery… mostly.**


	5. Switching Fears

**Hey everyone! Hope you had an awesome holiday! Also, WOOOOW it's been a bit. Sorry for the almost two month Hiatus. Lots been going down behinds the scenes. That being said, I'm back with a new update, and that's where I'll leave it for now.**

 **I haven't asked this before, since the first chapter seemed to get a lot of reviews, but I'd really love to hear what you think of the story so far. We're now five chapters in, the basic setup really starting to flesh out, establishing our bases, and I want to know if there's anything you like or dislike about it, what you want to see in the future and all that good stuff. I've been told by my Beta that I tend to go a little (too much) into the angst side of things, so I've been actively trying to write things a little more actively uplifting. Let me know if I achieve that for you or not, and what you would like to see more of tone wise as well.**

 **Cheers, and I'll see you at the end of the chapter.**

Broken Blondes

Chapter 5

Switching Fears

It was time to call off training. He'd decided this, not because they'd had some _earth shattering_ breakthrough… oh no… not at all. He wasn't the prideful type.

Anymore.

No, the real reason he wanted to stop was because his cheek was sore. His Aura seemed all but content to give up healing after the hundreth impact. _So much for healing minor injuries_ he thought bitterly, his eyes narrowing, even as his cheek regained some semblance of colour.

Sweat from exertion had soaked through his hoodie, weighing him down almost as much as Nora's enthusiasm for pancakes brought his partner to his knees. Or her slaps knocked him across the balcony.

Speaking of which, he really needed to pick up more ingredients to satiate the girls monstrous appetite.

He tried not to let his frustration at their progress show. It didn't seem leaderly to simply give in… he needed an excuse. _Quickly._

They had little to show for their efforts after all, despite several hours of attempting to activate his semblance.A rather distinct handprint on Jaune's cheek, courtesy of his pink clad teammate, being the only solid impact so far.

Aura healed any physical damage, naturally, but the pain itself remained. What had really triggered it before? Clearly, they had _no_ idea.

In a rare case of speaking up, his ninja brother mercifully came to his rescue. "Maybe it's time to give yourself a break, Jaune. Anything further won't be very useful if you aren't focused."

Given the time they'd spent cooped up after travelling, only to be forced to fight for his life, he couldn't agree more. The monotony of the past two days was almost scaring him. He half expected Salem herself to jump out at any minute.

"Yeah, I don't think my adrenaline is going to kick in anymore, not at this rate anyway..."

Having been cooped up dealing with Mistral's police since the fight in the heart of Haven academy, it seemed only right they do something to blow off steam _other_ than take it out on each other.

Nora looked relieved, turning to her partner with a wicked smile. "Wanna go a few rounds, Renny?"

The ninja paled.

"-why don't we check out the city while we still can?" Jaune interjected, earning a nod of thanks from the dark haired boy.

Nora pouted for a few seconds before springing back into an excited grin. "I can grab more ammo for Magnhild… This. Is. A. _GREAT_ plan Fearless Leader! Lead on!"

"Alright, let's wrap up here and get changed into something a little more comfortable for our last night on the town. Sound good?"

"YEAH!" Nora yelled with enough enthusiasm for them all.

He turned to the door, sheathing Crocea Mors and sliding it to its place on his hip in the process. As he did, he couldn't help but think back to how his ability might have been useful so much earlier in the fight in the center of Haven's great hall.

He used the term _fight_ at the Haven conflict rather liberally. He'd mostly been a detriment if he was honest, though he refused to believe he was _completely_ worthless. He'd saved Weiss' life after all... details notwithstanding.

As their _leader_ , he should have been the strongest, most able fighter, unifying their efforts. Instead, he was the farthest behind everyone, and had struck out alone at the strongest of their opposition. _Not my finest moment_ , he thought morosely. Even someone who had been reincarnated only a few weeks prior had better tactical sense.

He had prided himself on elevating his tactical mind to compensate for his lacking physique, yet, he'd gotten so many people hurt by not being strong _or_ smart enough when it counted. He fought back the tears threatening his eyes. _Not here._ He glanced to Ren and Nora, following a step behind him, Ren attempting to contain the tangent of the day, before she turned his way. _Oh boy._

" _Sooo_ , we're leaving _tomorrow_ , right? Let's _goooooo._ "

Jaune started, realizing he'd stopped in the hallway. Turning to the beacon of optimism that was his teammate, he put on a brave face, his smile almost reached his eyes. Shaking his head, he smiled, for real this time, before nodding quickly. "Alright! Let's DO this!"

His team in tow, he headed to his room, setting Crocea Mors down on the wall directly opposite his bed. It would be the first time he would leave it for any reason besides sleep in a long time.

He sent the duo off to their own room to change and shower.

He decided to discard the rest of his gear in favor of just his hoodie and jeans. They would be able to explore the city without explaining their weapons to every passing city guard that way.

After the attack on the school, the police had been grueling, questioning everyone, searching for the escapees. He could imagine any returning huntsmen, if there _were_ any alive to return to the city, having a difficult time going unnoticed in the expansive metropolis, despite its size.

He opened the shower door, turning the handle and letting the warm water pour over him, alleviating the stress of the day. The hot water burned ferociously over his tender skin, still healing from the impact of an eager Nora. It was moments before the irritation was dull, and his Aura began to repair him in earnest.

With the soothing warmth crashing over him, he could think more clearly than he had in months. Finally alone, he didn't have to keep the facade alive, and his face lost its strength, warping to the destroyed wreck he'd been that night in the great hall.

He felt like he'd come closer to becoming the hero he'd always imagined in the past 6 months. Now that he had his semblance, he was another step closer... even if he couldn't activate it at will yet.

How long had it been since he'd faked his way into Beacon? Two years? Two and a Half?

It felt like it had been an eternity since the darkest hour, where his peace had been unequivocally shattered.

He barely recognized himself in the mirror anymore. The strained, haunted look hovered just beneath the surface, threatening to consume him every hour that he wasn't risking someone seeing him. He was grateful the fog obscured it as he continued to let the water run over him.

He couldn't show weakness in public, not when everyone else was barely holding onto themselves as it was. He couldn't allow his weakness to show through.

He was far from the foolish idealist with his grandfather's hand-me-down weapons that had run out all those months ago, now he'd been forced to become a tactician, with an all too real understanding of the horrors he could face in the world of remnant.

He'd started to feel like he wasn't so useless. At least… for a little while. Journeying as team RNJR… JNRR… _whatever_ … forced him to learn a lot, and punished him severely when he didn't learn quick enough.

It had been learn or die.

He had chosen not to die in those Mistral forests. He got stronger, angrier as his will to survive trumped the hopelessness that lay just beneath the surface.

He'd really started to think he'd made a meaningful improvement.

Until he'd challenged Cinder to a one-on-one fight… a fight he knew he would lose. She'd been the one to murder his teammate, his family. Pyrrha had waited patiently, helping him rise. She had been a legend once. What hope did _he,_ a boy with forged documents and a borrowed sword, have?

Even before he spoke the first word to Cinder, he'd known attacking would be suicide...

 _Is that what I wanted?_

Did he hate himself for failing _so much_ that suicide by combat was his best solution?

He was ashamed to admit, but he knew he wasn't special. He never had been. Why would this change after a few combat lessons from a legend? _It didn't._ He'd been the one that told her to follow her destiny… without knowing what that meant.

Tears streamed down his face, mixing in with the water, hiding them where they would just wash away. For the first time since Beacon, the pain he felt when he realized Pyrrha was gone overwhelmed him. His body racked with sobs, his fist slamming into the side of the shower with enough force to cause the ceramic to crack under the force of the blow. He'd thought maybe he could avenger her. To make things right. He'd been wrong. It didn't mean he couldn't _try._

He slumped to his knees to the floor of the shower with a _whack_!

He covered his face in his hands as the pain numbed. He'd never be able to repay her kindness, and it was an insult to throw away the life she'd put so much time into. He was still here.

He'd almost wasted everything she'd ever given him. He'd ASKED for her help, after rejecting her kindness when she'd offered.

He had to get better. _For her._

He grit his teeth, determination somehow rising from the ashes of his shattered resolve, doing what it could to numb the sense of worthlessness weighing him down.

His face was a picture of determination. He pulled himself up, slipping a few times on the slick bottom of the shower, before rising to his feet. He WOULD become stronger, if it was the last thing he did.

He finally got out of the shower, tears wiped from his face, mostly washed away in the warm spray.

He slid on a simple orange shirt and a fresh pair of blue jeans, drying his messy blonde hair. He laced up his shoes, ready to face the day with the excitement it deserved, his mind cleared and his mood suitably jovial.

He opened the door to his room, Ren and Nora just outside, waiting for him in similarly casual clothing. He smiled.

Yang tried to sleep… she really did.

The fire at the edges of her vision refused to go out when she closed her eyes. She couldn't settle. The flames refused to die and sleep refused to find her.

The mere _thought_ of confronting Blake had made it difficult to think outside her fists. She didn't know when this feeling had grown so strong, but it wasn't going to let her rest… clearly.

 _Damn it!_ She pounded a fist into her pillow.

The directionless rage swelled in her chest like a dragon's roar. She fought to suppress it, breathing deeply, calling on her father's lessons on control.

Eventually her vision cleared. Flames still licked at the edges of her vision, but she could block it out enough to focus on other things now. She was fine.

Doing nothing would only yield the fuel they needed to regain their ferocity. She'd have to find something else to distract her then.

She'd at least get some fresh air on the cliff leading to the city. Maybe it would help release the tension that had been building. If that failed, she figured she could find something for her to busy herself with.

She just needed to get away from Blake and the Lantern for a bit, that would probably solve everything. _Definitely._

Her irritability seemed endless, she almost wondered if it was part of her semblance. The pressure to be the responsible one, the good older sister, as she always had to be. _Always…_

She eyed the relic warily as she passed it on the way to the door, tossing the wooden frame open more aggressively than was probably necessary, only to feel the door bounce off something. She caught it reflexively. "First the cheek, now the WHOLE face… if only my semblance worked on command."

Yang paled, the realization of just _who_ the shrill, girly voice belonged to hit her, and she quickly stepped into the hall. She came face to face with Nora, bent double in laughter, as Ren just rolled his eyes. The biggest spectacle was the leader of this unusual team, and the owner of the shrill voice.

She looked down to see the "leader" of their unorthodox team sprawled out on the ground, slowly recovering from the hit to the face. She can't help but chuckle at his expression, her earlier mood forgotten in a blink. "Hey, Jaune! Gonna have to stop a-DOOR-ing me so much, eh?"

Jaune just shook his head, "You sure that isn't you just Dooring me? That came out of _nowhere!_ "

She looked sheepishly at the door, _okay fair point._

"Well at least I'm not a Door-k"

 _Eh, not my best._

She glanced at the rice paper door to a wooden beam that _had_ run down the middle, now snapped from the force of impact of the boy's head. Her eyes widened in shock. "You _broke_ my door! …is that covered?"

"Why is _that_ the first thing you think of?" He grumbled back.

"I have _priorities_ vomit boy." Her voice semi teasing.

"I'm suddenly glad Ruby is your team leader..."

She pouted indignantly.

 _As a hunter, you'd think he'd react quicker._

"Jerk."

"YOU HIT ME WITH A _DOOR!"_

She looked to Nora, being the talkative one of his team normally, other than her fellow blonde. "Is he gonna be okay? It's not nice to yell at beautiful girls."

Nora just blinked at her for a moment, having watched the exchange with an amused expression. "He'll be _fiiiiiine_! Nothing to worry about at ALL… Hey! You wanna come with us to the city? We wanted to explore before being whisked off to Atlas."

"-And It would be a good opportunity to get some winter clothes for Atlas." Jaune added.

Yang looked from Nora to Ren, before settling her lavender eyes on Jaune again, mulling the suggestion over in her head like a particularly interesting piece of candy. Eventually, she shrugged, her worries almost completely forgotten. It would be a welcome distraction. "Sure, might as well start things off with a _Yang._ "

She only got an eye roll from Ren. Her voice seemed flat and distracted, which she internally cursed at.

She turned to walk to her bike, not saying anything. Jaune followed, Nora and Ren naturally fall into step just behind him.

She was ready to face the day... and maybe… get some modifications made to her clothes. For Atlas.

She turned to Ren and Nora, "So, how are we getting to the city?"

"There's a glass elevator just down the road, we thought it might be a cool sight seeing tour, but there's also a road that leads there." Jaune informed her.

"What say we go for a spin on Bumblebee? I want to get in as much riding as possible before we put it on an airship for a while"

Jaune looked at his team. Nora just nodded, oddly silent, letting Ren take the reins, "Sure, we can meet you there."

It was all he needed to see to know they really could use the alone time. He'd gotten better at reading his team after all.

Ruby and Weiss had gone back to Weiss' room, Crescent Rose resting on the floor opposite the bed, leaning against the wall, Myrtenaster lying across Weiss' lap while Weiss looked intently at an unusually stoic Ruby.

Sensing the nature of the subject from her old team leader, Weiss had suggested they go somewhere more secluded. Ruby had quickly agreed, after being thrown to the ground for the umpteenth time that bout, given she lacked her weapon and Weiss didn't really need hers to be a force to be reckoned with.

Ruby finally broke the thick silence saturating the room. "It started before Beacon, when Ozpin first brought me to the school. He'd mentioned my eyes. Then, I got the top of the tower before Pyrrha… it was the end of the fight and…"

Unable to get the words to leave her throat, Ruby stopped, her chest heaving, as though she were about to start sobbing. Weiss put a protective hand on Ruby's shoulder, as she had seen Yang do.

Ruby put her hand on Weiss' before smiling, fighting down her tears and continuing. "A-anyway… when I got there and saw… it… apparently, something happened where my eyes froze EVERYTHING in the immediate area related to Grimm in any way… apparently… that's what took out the dragon Grimm."

Weiss' eyes widened, as she remembered seeing something similar on her partner's face only a few days earlier, in the much less bombastic battle of Haven. The odds had been somewhat more even this time round.

Whether this was because Cinder hadn't been expecting any opposition, remained to be seen.

Ruby continued, "Then, with Haven, it looked like..."

She'd screamed Jaune's name, and then... glowed with surreal light, before… everything after that in Weiss' memory seemed blocked out for a while.

She shook her head, trying to remember more clearly what happened. She thought she'd seen Ruby collapse. It made sense, hearing the story about her eyes at Beacon now.

Ruby looked to Weiss, the ugly charred hole in her ice blue dress contrasting with her snow white hair, and she decided to ask the question that had been echoing in her mind for months."Will you help me figure this out? I don't know who else to turn to."

Weiss was confused for a moment, "what about-"

"I need to control this…I have the greatest weapon I've ever heard of against the Grimm so close. Yang and Blake… I can't talk to them about this right now, they've got too much on their minds… I want to be able to make this ability something conscious, so it's not just a reaction."

Weiss simply nodded her head. Her pride swelled at being asked to help with something even the ever optimistic Ruby was troubled by. She might be acting childish, but it made her feel special. Ruby had come to her before anyone else.

Ruby, who had always been so positive, hid her true thoughts under a layer of optimistic - at times goofy - antics, suddenly asking for Weiss' help. She didn't know what to say.

That the redhead felt she could come to the girl who her sister often referred to as 'frosty' was a testament. It made every bit of difference from Beacon, and who they recognized each other as partners on and off the battlefield.

Yet, somehow, she found herself upset that the Ruby she'd used to know has all but shriveled up to a shadow of her former self. This was the last thing she wanted to have a lasting memory of.

Almost as if on cue, Ruby's serious demeanor evaporated, as if it had never existed. She held her fist up triumphantly, a wide smile seemingly super-glued in place. "We got this Weiss! Besties forever! This is _gonna_ be **AWESOME**!" She squealed, the glee in her voice too much for Weiss to resist, a smile creeping over her serious expression.

"Let's figure this out together, as we should have from day one."

The last was said with a sincere smile completely flooding her face.

Weiss intended to put her focus towards helping her leader overcome the one challenge she couldn't approach on her own.

The pair of blondes had gone ahead on Bumblebee, driving down the side of the mountain, while Ren and Nora were walking to the elevator system that led to all parts of the city from where they were.

Initially, they'd been planning to go together, but Nora had - less than subtly - asked for some alone time with Ren.

The morose knight's visage was grim, seeming to hold on for dear life to the girl driving the massive motorcycle at speeds that seemed _anything_ but safe. He couldn't help but let out a small shriek of fear as Yang rounded a particularly sharp turn, accelerating into the turn.

She looked back, her expression flat, but focused."You really shouldn't distract a driver you know." She intoned flatly, even as she took another curve _terrifyingly_ fast. Thankfully she turned back to the road.

The lack of a helmet on either himself or his fellow Huntress left him concerned. He imagined their Auras would be more than able to take the hit, but it would be FAR from pleasant. It didn't stop the feeling after all.

He wished he could absorb impacts to make himself stronger like she could. Maybe that explained the devil-may-care attitude on display. It made him more than a little jealous.

It would make a crash less horrifying to think about anyway… especially at the speed they were currently travelling. He elected _not_ to think about it too much, lest his motion sickness rear its ugly head again.

His sense of self-preservation screamed at him against his better judgement. He ignored it, drawing on behaviors drilled into them at either Signal, in Yang's case - a sort of pre-hunter combat school - or his teammates in _his_ case. "Just remind me why we _don't_ have helmets for this thing?!"

"I wasn't really riding in the big city like Vale, figured it wasn't going to be a big deal… okay? Sheesh, _DAD_ "

They raced through the slowly more populated streets, and Jaune couldn't help but feel at least a little nauseated as Yang confidently slipped past everyone far faster than he would have liked.

"You're not gonna blow on me are ya, vomit boy? I thought we talked about this." Yang clicked her tongue in fake disgust, before it gave way to actual concern, "You aren't… right? These boots are _new_. I don't want to have to get new ones."

Jaune narrowed his eyes, deciding it wasn't worth it to tell her to stop at this point. "I'll be fine, I just think helmets makes sense. That's all..."

Jaune did his best not to focus on the _brutally_ fast speeds at which Yang's bike was hurtling down the mountainside road, knowing he was being overprotective… even if it was for his own benefit.

"It's okay… It's okay… It's okay"

It's not like this was the first time she'd ridden with a partner, surely.

He clung to Yang's sides for dear life. She just rolled her eyes as she rode into the city, slowing slightly, if only to make him more at ease for the short ride left to the metropolitan center of the city.

As the shop fronts of the first level down came into view, they found themselves taking in the rich colours that they'd mostly just seen from the balcony.

This time they noticed all kinds of unique details up close, people from every kingdom mixing in chaotic harmony. The colour combinations seemed utterly endless, and they couldn't help but enjoy the view from an altogether more personal angle.

Jaune spotted several shops he took a liking to as they drove through the space, first a winter supply store, but also a comic booth with various wares, and even a blacksmith forge.

Yang noticed the various stylized clothing boutiques and the major dust shop that dominated the landscape of the place, boasting specialized dust rounds for shotgun weapons. The emblem emblazoned across it was the same snowflake design etched into Weiss' dress. The SDC.

Finally, the bike came to a stop as Yang parked the bike on the side of the thoroughfare by the dust shop. Jaune jumped off, maybe a little too quickly, as Yang cast a look his way as if to say, _really?_ as she slowly and calmly dismounted.

"I'm not going to kill us you know… I don't want to hurt my bike."

He scratched the back of his head, a clear tell of his embarrassment, and honestly, confusion. He couldn't help but wonder how things were going with the rest of his team. He hoped they were at least enjoying their alone time. He smiled at the prospect of at least _some_ good coming from that insane trip.

"Hey, Blondie! Stop daydreaming."

He was pulled from his moment of introspection by a metal hand waving in front of his face. With a start, he looks over at her. "S-sorry! Was thinking about something…"

The Buxom Brawler just rolled her eyes, scanning the rest of the bustling metropolitan street, searching for a safe haven to wait out the others. Spotting a idyllic shoppe which looked to house all manner of fruit inspired cocktails, she smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Come on daydreamer, might as well wait in style! You can lose yourself in my eyes in there." The sarcasm at the last was light and teasing.

Jaune rolled his eyes, a small laugh escaping. "Uhhh… What?"

She grabbed the tall blonde by his shirt like a puppy's scruff, pulling him as if he were an errant toddler, as he stumbled after her towards the shop, noticing the welcoming looking patio.

 _Is this how Ruby felt as a kid?_

She sat him rather forcefully facing the dust shop, with her sitting across from him with Bumblebee, her bike, in direct line of sight. He leaned back in the chair, attempting to seem unflustered by the dramatic show of force, and failing spectacularly.

Yang ignored him, merely looking out at the myriad of people passing, in all manner of clothing. Her eyes shifted quickly from person to person. "Kinda strange, isn't it?" She mused aloud.

Jaune went to respond, but Yang continued before he could say anything. "We haven't seen any faunus since Sun and my old teammate showed up with her parents and a small army."

Jaune glanced at the passing crowd, "There's nobody in the crowds that's a faunus?"

She shook her head. "I was looking for it since we first drove into the city. I haven't seen any faunus at all, it's kinda eerie actually."

"Yeah..."

Yang's expression darkened for a moment, and they fell into an awkward silence. He tried to think of something to add, but his mind turned a blank, until. "It's nothing like Vale at all."

He just nodded, she seemed to be talking to herself more than him. Seeing no response from the girl, he looked out at the crowd of faces. The minutes passed, both unsure of how to proceed. His hands found his lap comforting.

Finally, after uncomfortable stretch, a man in a relatively unassuming uniform sidled up, pulling out a pad of paper. "Can I get you two anything?"

In a sudden shift, Yang finally tore her eyes away from the scenery, to the waiter. "Hi there! Strawberry Sunrise for me!"

Jaune turned to the man, "Just a soda for me, thanks."

The man nodded and left them to their relative silence again, and Jaune couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, level with me Yang… Do you have like… a _list_ of nicknames for me, or are you just quick witted in the worst way?"

She turned to him, leveling an empty stare, before snorting a little. "Don't lie, my puns are amazing."

"Sure Yang, and I'm a world class huntress"

"I seem to remember you looking pretty good in a dress."

"I was _really_ hoping I was the only one to remember that."

"I've got pictures" Yang smiled, the picture of evil, pulling out her scroll in a flourish. "You're welcome for the dress by the way."

"Truly the best of friends."

Jaune slumped in his chair in defeat.

END OF CHAPTER 5

 **A/N:**

 **Sorry for the lateness of the update on this story. Lots has been happening to delay it, between moving, quitting my job, and the holidays being a thing, I've been pretty preoccupied, and only got the beta out to Jiu-Jitsu Dude a few weeks or so ago, and I've been sluggish to really look at his corrections, so I ask your forgiveness.**

 **Also, after his corrections, the size of this chapter feels like it shrunk at first, and then suddenly BALLOOONED out of basically nowhere. Still working on not going** _ **too**_ **morose, as I've been doing that for a few chapters now, and this is the start of a happier moment, at least for this chapter.**

 **ALSO also, as far as the development of the canon in Volume 6, this story will be going in a very different direction, and won't have a real confrontation between Blake, Adam and Yang for a while, but I will** _ **definitely**_ **be keeping key elements of their developments in mind for my own story. This is NOT going to be close to the OG canon more than likely, especially since this fic includes a different ship for Yang.**


	6. A Moment to Breathe

**Broken Blondes**

 _Chapter 6: A Moment to Breathe_

 **AN: So, this chapter will be the chapter I promised last chapter. It was supposed to end up in the last chapter, at least according to my outline, but I find I'm adding fun little bits of context, and more developing the other characters more than in the first outline, so hopefully that doesn't bog things down TOO much, but also allows for everyone to enjoy the fic nonetheless. As always, let me know what you liked and didn't like about this chapter, and what you want to see in upcoming chapters.**

* * *

Ren and Nora had asked Yang and Jaune to go ahead of them, to give the duo time to talk. Yang had been confused, especially since they'd been the ones to invite her, but their fearless leader had _immediately_ realized when Nora casually brought it up what they needed. He'd ended up whisking Yang away, despite her protest, and his personal chagrin.

Nora chuckled at the thought of Jauney dealing with puns. He'd be fine. _Probably._

She clung a little tighter to Ren's arm. He looked down at the excitable redhead. She returned the look evenly, no longer concerned with people thinking they were together-together. A small, content smile broke through his typically serene features, even as she resisted the urge to jump around like she'd inhaled a stack of pancakes… _mmn, paaancakes…_

Shaking her head, she focused on the boy in front of her… the source of pancakes. His casual green tunic with pedal-like tails at the back was contrasted by his long black hair. At the front of this long mop, he had a single pink streak, which she liked to think of as his 'touch of Nora'. She could feel the thick material of his robe through her hands giving her a sense of comfort and security.

The Nora in question had pink accented through her clothing, whether the all pink skirt, or the lines on her bomber jacket. Her boots were heavy, and mostly practical, if strangely white in a sea of brown earth.

They continued to walk in silence, taking in the view, content merely being present with each other, being _together_ -together. Everything was amplified, the shock of him close to her sending electricity racing through her system unlike anything she'd ever felt before outside the rush of battle.

Ren knew it was coming. She'd never liked being silent, it was his thing, not hers and she'd kept her silence too long. He didn't even blink when she cried out energetically "Hey Ren… it's nice to have a moment alone like this isn't it?! Jaune's great and all, but we're strongest when it's just us _right?_ I can't imagine anything more perfect!" Her shout echoed off the mountain, her voice an unnatural explosion of sound after the extended silence - in other words, just another day with Nora.

She wiggled her eyebrows knowingly in his direction, looking for a reaction. After a moment, Ren merely drew her closer. It was all the response she needed. She was alone with him for the first time in what felt like years. They'd _always_ been strong together.

They slowly meandered towards the Mistral central elevation chamber, or "elevator" for short. They could see it in the distance, a long clear tube that seemed to stick out among the more natural elements of Mistral. If she could have guessed, she'd have suspected it was an Atlas contribution from the last time they'd held the Vytal Festival here. The house could certainly sustain a lot of people, and the installation led right to the main Mistral streets.

As they walked, she took in the city they would be leaving for a cold, desolate wasteland of a country. She'd never been a fan of Atlas. She herself knew little of the country, but from what she heard from Weiss queen, it was a relatively fitting description.

Speaking of the girl seemed to defy fun, Weiss was the closest she had come to meeting someone from Atlas. The snow angel was a resident her entire life before escaping to Beacon. The best parts of the girl was how she'd changed _since_ Atlas.

Weiss' personality could have been summed up as… _frosty_ when she first arrived. Made sense, now that she thought about it. No wonder Yang had to thaw her heart out.

There was also… Penny… and she wasn't really a person. _Technically._ It wasn't something she could understand, but she'd seen the wreckage. "It's strange to think that a world so full of life can feel so empty between cities. Like a testament to Salem's domination of this world." Ren's words broke into her thoughts, forcing her back to the present.

He only spoke when he came to a conclusion. It was true that leaving in the dead of winter from Patch had been a bleak journey to start. With Ruby's optimism though, it had been difficult to keep their spirits down. She'd helped too. _Probably more._

Ruby had thought the journey would take at most a week or two… and in fact took roughly _6 months_ , since they'd not taken the train. To be fair, Ruby having never been outside of Vale or Patch… it was something they should have seen coming. _Wish we knew about that earlier._

"It's nice to have somewhere to get away from it all though, isn't it? Salem isn't all powerful. She's just kinda _nuts_. Humanity is even _more_ nuts because we survive in _spite_ of Grimm, and we get stronger! Like _me!_ " She struck a heroic pose for a moment, pulling him with her, and he cried out in surprise at her suddenness.

The boy smiled, removing his arm from Nora's grasp,putting his arm around her shoulders, she hummed approval. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Before long though, a thought came to her, breaking the silence. "Do you think I could get pancakes for lunch?"

Ren just rolled his eyes, his musings evidently forgotten. "Yes Nora…"

She squealed in delight, snuggling closer, and squeezing him in a bear hug.

* * *

Yang and Jaune were sitting on the patio of a noodle shop. It also carried drinks infused with dust, meaning Yang's favorite drink, and of course, that meant they _had_ to check it out. The brawler had ordered a Strawberry Sunrise within minutes. At Yang's suggestion - more like demand really - they'd decided to wait out the other two, while she nursed a second Sunrise. He'd relented easily, focused on the menu to try and find something he'd like.

The blazing blonde opposite him had insisted on getting an outside seat, both so she could keep an eye on her bike, as well as see Nora and Ren coming. Figuring he'd get about as far as before, he'd simply followed dutifully. She sat, her eyes scouring the plethora of shops along the road they'd just driven down, while Jaune's eyes wandered the patio, keeping an eye on as much as possible. It was a nice atmosphere.

They were somewhat awkward with each other at first, avoiding eye contact, not wanting to be the first to start a conversation. Yang, the one who was typically _much_ more social was hesitant, while he was just plain awkward. She didn't want the events of the night before to accidentally come up, Jaune felt too intimidated to say anything.

He'd never really had a one on one conversation with the beautiful woman opposite him before that night on the balcony. Knowing her thoughts towards her raven-haired teammate, and with what Ruby had asked him to do, he felt conflicted on what to talk about. Starting with that out of the gate seemed… tactless, even for him.

Finally, Yang could stand the uncomfortable silence no more, "So! Now that you're not crying like a baby or threatening to puke," Jaune winced, "I wanted to say… thanks for watching out for Ruby while I was…" She waved her hand in a circle, as if searching for the right word. "... preoccupied. It means a lot."

Jaune's back shot up ramrod straight at the mention of watching over Ruby. "Yeah! Sure! I mean, of course I'd look after her. She was my first friend at Beacon after all!"

Yang just raised her eyebrow at his skittish outburst. _Fuck._ He forced his mind to calm down, the strange level of sincerity blindsiding him.

Jaune wanted to make a joke, to break the tension. He hadn't expected something so sincere. He banished the thought almost immediately, mentally chastised himself for not knowing Yang better. He tried again... more calmly, "Yeah, no problem. I'd never want anyone to face the trek to Mistral alone. Plus, I didn't know what you'd do to me if I ever let your sister, one of my best friends get hurt."

She smiled wryly, she _would_ have held him responsible if anything had happened to the little reaper. She laughed at Jaune's somewhat mortified expression when he mentioned her. "I'd hate to separate her from her bodyguard at Beacon. Besides yours truly!"

Jaune laughed, earning a look from his fellow blonde. "Bodyguard _nothing_. Your sister can _more_ than protect herself. Pretty sure she kept _me_ alive sometimes."

"Oh? The big bad knight not so fearless?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously "Nope. NOT even gonna respond to _that_."

She playfully punched him on the arm, his expression softened, though still on edge around her. "Is there something on your mind Jaune?"

"Just not used to sincerity from the crown queen of puns."

"HEY! I resemble that remark!"

"Exactly."

"I have to protect my sister from big bad men like you you know. Sometimes the dragon's gotta roar." She chuckled, not believing for a second any of that could apply to him.

"She's my _friend_ Yang. I don't think of her like that!"

She gasped dramatically, "Oh her pooor heart! How _ever_ shall she survive?!"

He raised a brow, sighing and shaking his head. "Okay but seriously, she had friends at Signal… right?"

Yang's brow creased at this, "well, not a lot, but I guess. She's always been a bit of a loner, kind of off on her own. Especially when she got to making her own weapons."

"Weapon _s_? As in… plural?" He inquired

"Yuup"

She popped the p to emphasis her point. Jaune merely looked incredulous. "I mean, I know her Scythe is like… three different weapons in one, but what did she do before _THAT_?"

"Well… She made 10 different weapons before Crescent Rose. She'd tried to make my gauntlets first, then she made a few weapons she thought Summer would have use-"

"Summer?" Jaune broke in.

"Her mom. Not the raven-haired woman that pretends to be mine when it suits her. That woman is a bird of an entirely _different_ feather."

Jaune couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that, given what she knew of Qrow and his sister. Yang continued, "then Ruby she got into the really crazy stuff, she saw Qrow with his sword-Scythe, and decided she had to have something like it… and that's when the first version of Crescent Rose was born."

"huh... No wonder she's such a weapon nut."

" _Pardon_?" Yang's voice had an edge of indignant older sister malice to it, before her façade broke into laughter. "Yeah, you've got _THAT_ right."

Yang put her hands behind her head, leaning back on her chair, casting her eyes to the sky. She looked relaxed, at ease.

Jaune decided to broach the subject, curious about her reaction on the balcony that night. Finally committing to a way to break the ice with the bombshell blonde on it. "You've been really distracted since we got back from the fight at Haven, and I'd be lying to say it's not got me thinking about... things. Are you okay?"

He looked away, expecting a more serious blow this time. _What the hell was that?_

Instead, he was greeted with silence. It was almost more unnerving than being hit.

Eventually, realizing the expected hit wasn't coming, he looked at her.

She seemed frozen, not seeing him, eyes still skyward, before snapping back to reality. "I've got a lot on my mind lately… what about you? Why are you practicing in the cover of night? I don't remember that in my combat practice schedule."

He was caught off guard by this almost immediate reversal, suddenly finding himself in the hot seat. He decided it was easier to just go with the truth. Some of it anyway, "I need to get stronger, and nothing made it more obvious than the fight with Cinder. I had no control…"

"I'll say, it's like you'd never used your sword before."

"...thanks"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, your technique is _waaaay_ better than the Vital Festival." She winked.

"Thanks? I feel like that's still an insult."

"Not from what I saw last night."

Jaune froze. "w-what… what did you see?"

"That you were putting in some serious overtime"

"Yeah, well."

"That way next time it won't be just, 'Nora, just hit them with the hammer'?"

"THANK YOU for the reminder!"

"At least you actually fought this time."

"I'm getting _better_ thank you!"

Jaune glares at his fellow blonde. "And, for your information, I DID fight in our first match of the festival!"

"You might be able to hold your own with a civilian swordsman. One day." He blinked. "Given you work on your control." His eyes narrowed again. She continued, oblivious. "Taking on Cinder though, a _maiden_ from **legend** apparently… just seems like suicide for _anyone_ to attempt alone."

"She was just toying with me the whole time… I don't know what I was _thinking…"_

"Dude, you weren't thinking. I _get_ it. _Trust_ me."

"How?!"

She just waved with her metal arm. His eyes went wide. "I'm sorry… I didn't" all wind had left his sails in a hurry.

Yang looked sideways at him, curious. "Don't beat yourself up so much. It's not worth it."

He took a deep breath continuing. "Heh… not the first time I've been stupid"

The bitterness stung. He shook his head, and smiled, as if he hadn't been on the edge of a panic attack only seconds earlier.

"Don't sweat it so much, we've all done stupid things. I'm no better." Yang tried to comfort him gently.

"Riiight"

He smiled bitterly. Yang raises her eyebrow, not quite sure how to take his subdued reaction. "I'm just saying we're all dumb sometimes for the right reasons." She didn't push him further on it though.

She'd seen him fighting, and while she knew she'd still wipe the floor with him - which Cinder seemed content to do – his form had improved considerably since the combat festival. His swipes were wide, haphazard and angry, but she could see the form from last night. It was solid and in control, if a little stiff. He had to get his head in the game. She could relate.

The fight with Cinder had him clearly out of his depth. As a brawler who needed to pick up her opponent's body language for the edge, she could see the recklessness. He'd been emotional. A wreck if she was honest.

"You've become way more precise than I think I've ever seen _anyone_ fight, other than Pyrrah. It was like seeing Weiss' grace with Nora's ferocity." Jaune broke into her musing.

Yang laughed, and Jaune scowled, "It's true! You have a laser focus behind your movements, it's like watching a raging fire focused through a magnifying glass!"

Yang stops, putting her mechanical hand on his shoulder, her eyes reflecting playful warmth of a hearth fire. "I'm not laughing because I don't believe you… I'm laughing at how much you were paying attention. If I'd known, I'd have worn something pretty."

She looked at him suggestively, batting her eyes, taking a little amusement from his blush.

"wha-?"

She just smirked. He scowled, and she finally became serious. "I've been practicing with my dad since Beacon… mostly anyway."

"With your dad?"

"Yeah… he's the one who taught me how to fight, he's a suuuper pragmatic brawler. Like, I've rarely beat him in a fight unless he was trying to teach me something."

He'd seen how terrifyingly strong Yang was, not just compared to him, but everyone who had fought her - not to mention her drastic improvement since he'd last seen her. He couldn't imagine someone who barely had to try to outclass her. It painted a picture of her father being an unstoppable force with no equal.

He shuddered.

"Strongest team at Beacon at one point." Yang added helpfully.

Yang smirked at his awestruck expression before putting both her arms behind her back. Seeing nothing more needing to be said on the topic, she glanced to the market. A green tunic, and a shock of orange-red hair caught her eye. "SOOO, when do you think the love birds will notice where we sat?" she mused aloud.

Jaune just rolled his eyes, looking to the street, seeing the duo, with Ren trying to keep pace with Nora, pulling him from shop to shop. "I'm willing to bet they _won't._ Let's head over before they do any damage."

"Don't you just mean Nora?"

"Pretty much..."

* * *

There was something amiss. The halls were quiet, but for the light pitter patter of a few guardsmen from the local police force. These halls had once been flush with thousands of students, young Hunters and Huntresses of Grimm. They would have been a force to be reckoned with, banishing any darkness that dared intrude.

Instead, the halls were empty to a level unseen in decades. It was downright eerie, the silence oppressive like a blanket. The door to the office of one Leonardo Lionheart slid open, a gaping maw of darkness into a brightly lit atrium. It was resplendent in its grandeur.

From this impossibly dark crevice of the open doorway slipped a creature comparable to a squid, its black tentacles which seemed almost to hover over the ground as it moved in absolute silence added to its malign aura. A bulbous 'head' sported no eyes of any kind, giving it a downright demonic appearance. Bones protruding from the bottom of its dome seemed to form a visceral maw for the creature, and flecks of bone where one would imagine there to be eyes, though it was reflected on every side, and it seemed unlikely that between the marrow would be a face of any kind, human or Grimm.

The way it moved spoke of familiarity with its surroundings, the creature's body still as it moved over the stairs. There was little resistance, the students whom had originally been sent away had yet to return, and the only Mistral police presence was… _swiftly_ dealt with.

It found its way to a major door, opened with a singular tentacle. The creature barely stopped, keeping away from the busiest streets, once it broached the outside walls of Haven Academy.

It moved with purpose, the whisper of its Queen's commands echoing in what constituted as the black squid creature's mind. It was little more than a conduit for a vague consciousness, driven by its addiction to fear and negative emotions. They wreathed the people here, almost like a hunter's aura, in the creatures visual field.

Despite this allure to incite panic and feed on its energy, the creature maintained in service to its puppet master. Drawing attention, so soon after the failure of a confrontation at the school, would lead to the swift end of her most trusted of creatures, a price she wasn't willing to pay. So it was that she denied its hunger and forced it towards her true goal.

Eventually it came to an overhang of the uppermost cliffs of Mistral, From its vantage point it could see a structure obscuring the horizon - the dormitories for Haven's senior students. It was more like an independent housing structure that functioned as a group home for 20 people, if the size was anything to go by.

It could see a communal balcony large enough to hold a whole host of people. There were two humanoid creatures there. From one, there was a conflicted anger. The other was radiating something truly foul… _optimism_.

Turning its attention on the bulk of the structure, it sensed two presences on the second floor, in what would be considered the bunks for teams, one was incredibly inviting, the feelings of disdain and annoyance tweaked with a unique flavor of sorrow that seemed to drip with anticipation for the Grimm. The other was… old, ancient and unknowable, while also incredibly young and naïve. The creature knew it immediately to be the wizard, the greatest enemy of its queen.

It could sense its queen become hostile, its limbs reflecting her agitation, ready to strike. A moment passed in this state, before the goddess calmed. The prize would cause him more pain than she could achieve with a minor inconvenience for him.

The only other presences in the house consisted of a stern focus, and one of childlike determination. There was something more, something it feared more than anything else. The creature grew cold for a moment. Silver Eyes.

Many rooms held no one. There was more space yearning for occupation than not. The creature would have laughed if it was capable. Emptiness would be easily exploited.

As it began to grow closer, it began to realize that they had left their most prized possession completely unguarded. To be so careless… it was arrogance that had so many times undone the wizard.

* * *

Qrow had been drunk since the meeting that morning and had planned to be drunk for as long as possible before he lost the chance when they travelled to Atlas. Call it a personal goal of his.

He knew from personal experience that his semblance would jump at the opportunity to ruin his day, so he'd choses to beat it to the punch. He stared at the flask he'd had open. It dripped empty. He scowled in irritation. This was becoming a trend lately.

The conversation he was doing his best to ignore made him yearn for something stronger than the gin he'd been downing for the last 20 minutes; as his "superior" -if you could call the 14 year old that - talked about preparations and considerations for the cross-continental trip.

He felt that he had to at least raise the point that had been bothering him for some time, "Oz, something seems off with my niece."

The Oz in question, pin that is, looked meditatively at his subordinate. It looked odd, considering his now young teen body, younger even than the man's niece Ruby, a paltry 14 to her 16.

Oz simply shrugged; seemingly not perturbed. "Ruby is doing fine, and she's even developing her true abilities as we speak. There's little to worry about with the little Rose."

Qrow frowned, rolling his eyes, too used to the old man's games to really bother with his deliberate aloofness. "Yang you idiot. She's been talking to _Raven_ , after so many years. My sister abandoned the family after everything. _Now_ she's given Yang reason to doubt us both… Which is _entirely reasonable_ by the way! You do _everything_ not to play your cards if you don't have to, but you're asking for a **lot** from these kids, Oz."

Oz was impassive, but the grizzled scythe wielder knew that some of what he'd said had landed. Even after so many years of knowing him, putting his life on the line, it was hard to know when he'd taken your point. The old man spoke pensively, "Then what do you suggest we _do_ then? She has her own mind, she can make her own decisions. Frankly, I wish Raven hadn't done what she did, but there's little we can do to rectify it. We must do our best to protect the Relic and the children."

Qrow glared at the man, "She only learned to hide things because she had to be strong when Tai couldn't be… even if it wasn't really his fault." He looked down for a moment. "We don't want her distrusting us."

He looked to his, now pint-sized former headmaster. The person in question was pacing in his new body, tapping a staff with gears covering one side of the handle against the wooden floor of the dorm as he went. "Qrow, the journey to Atlas will be excessively dangerous. They chose to volunteer, and as such… they will likely be endangered the whole way."

Qrow for his part, was amazed at his attempt to change the conversation. He drawled out, "That's everything we've ever _done_ Oz, especially after you took a spiritual dirt nap."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed, but he let the man continue. "I've been watching over the first silver eye of the new generation for the last 6 months, she might be developing her abilities, but I don't want my niece to end up like Summer! I was nearly KILLED in the process of keeping them out of trouble, by the way; not that it would make much difference to you, outside of your precious staff being lost! What makes this harrowing trip full of misery any different from my typical Monday?"

Oz glared at the hard-headed drunk before pinching the bridge of his nose, a motion horribly out of place on his new body. "It's what we're going to be CARRYING Qrow, the _relic,_ that will make this particular trip so difficult."

"So we've got a fancy lamp, whoop de do!"

Ospin took a slow breath. "There's a reason I haven't moved them since the last war. It's like a beacon to Grimm _everywhere._ Plus, Salem won't take a loss like that lightly. She's probably mounting forces to claim the relic in Atlas as we speak _._ It might be the safest place for it, but we _both_ know what happened with James' hubris _last time!_ "

Qrow raises and eyebrow, "She's going to have serious difficulty moving around there, the Grimm don't _like_ the cold, remember? _You_ taught me that. That's why we held out there so long during the war…Plus, Atlas created a blockade to their part of the continent."

Ozcar looks to Qrow, frustration showing through the cracks of his mask of impassivity, "She's been experimenting since the last war, you know this as much as I, there's likely already human forces mobilizing in Atlas, and the ice is waning now."

Qrow, for his part, looked thoroughly annoyed by this news; getting up and - after steadying himself - walked to the door. Oz looks to him, irritated at Qrow's lack of response.

Over his shoulder, Qrow spat, "Should have TOLD me that before I let my nieces escort something so powerful to a place that might already be compromised! Especially if he's handling it as well as his damn robots! Oz, one of these days, it won't be a Grimm that kills you. It's going to be _me_."

Oz simply shakes his head in disappointment, wincing as Qrow slams the door. This could be a problem.

Oscar shuddered.

* * *

Amid Haven's bustling metropolis lay a massive expanse of shops and markets.

Jaune and Yang having met up with Ren and Nora; had opted to enter the massive dust shop Yang had spotted on their way in. The four teens were currently looking into clothing with dust infused fabrics to keep them warm at any temperature. _The wonders of dust-tech._

Ren and Jaune went together in the men's section, while Yang and Nora investigated clothing to amplify the overall effects of their semblances. Ren went to inspect fire dust laced mistralian clothing, like the ones he'd worn almost exclusively for their travel through Mistral, with a thicker fur lining, perfect for colder conditions. He spotted a matching pair of insulated stockings as well. It might have been spring in Remnant, but Atlas wouldn't be accommodating to anything he might overlook, even when summer was just on the horizon.

By contrast, his leader seemed preoccupied looking at a blue onesie among the sleepwear section. He just shook his head. His gaze bore into the bunny obsessed man, as Ren willed his eyes to burn a hole in his neck.

His leader looked over at him, the guilt showing on his face at being caught in the act. "What!? I miss the onesie I had. Things haven't been the same since Pyrrha burnt the old one!"

Thoroughly embarrassed, Jaune moved to see what Ren was doing. Anything to change the subject. Seeing his practical choices in clothes, his eyes narrowed, remembering the situation they were actually in. He groaned in mock annoyance.

Once again, his team seemed more focused than him. He wondered if he'd ever really been the leader. Seeking to draw attention away from his choice of onesie, "Hey, tell me something, even after everything; you seem the most composed, the most in control… how do you deal with it all the time?"

Ren looked at his leader, coming to him for guidance. His eyes struggled to convey everything he wanted to say, the typical impassive and logical approach seeming devoid of the ability to truly communicate his thoughts. In the end he merely sighed, "Honestly… I don't."

Jaune was skeptical, to say the least - horrified if he was honest - though it made sense. Ren's semblance was emotion masking, he'd probably used it on himself often enough to hide from things. It probably helped deal with Nora too actually, now that he thought about it.

All the time he'd spent wondering what Ren's semblance was, seeing him manipulate his aura the way he'd always done in practice, it seemed like that should have been his semblance. Instead, it was the most useful tool he'd ever heard of. Fear could quite literally lead the stuff of nightmares to devour you. If he'd been able to hide his emotions, he'd probably be a better leader to everyone.

Ren, seeing his friend's frustration, merely put his hand on the boys shoulders, and Jaune felt a wave of calm envelop him, "Jaune, I've hidden my feelings for years, ever since… that _thing_ destroyed out village, preying on the terror of my family and everyone I'd ever known. My semblance manifested from the urge to be safe. That was a decade ago. My semblance made it easier for me to run away from those feelings, not understand them or deal with them."

Ren smiled, to Nora, he needed no words, but Jaune needed to realize running wouldn't solve things forever. Even so, it felt nice to finally say what he'd thought unspeakable for so long. It was as if a thousand pounds of pressure had lifted from his shoulders, knowing that he wasn't the only one to hear it.

For a moment, Jaune felt himself smiling despite himself, placing his own hand on his brother-in-spirit. "We'll always be here for you Ren. No matter what we face in the future. We won't EVER be separated. Not anymore."

Ren smiled and nodded solemnly. He turned back to his clothing choices. His blonde leader turns back to the onesies, his glee returning guiltily before finally looking to more suitable winter clothing other than his faithful hoodie. Smiling to himself, he didn't even look over his shoulder. "No onesies Jaune."

Jaune made a sound like a wounded animal.

* * *

Yang looked through the rows of different shotgun shells. She looked to the gauntlet on her arm, in its current form it was just a bracelet, the comfortable but not insignificant weight comforted her. She'd taken so long to get used to the weight difference between her arm with the gauntlet that she'd thought nothing would change it. Now, it served as a reminder of where haste left her.

Her new arm cannon didn't take the same kind of shotgun shells either, which was somewhat inconvenient for her quick and aggressive style of combat. The main thing was that it was balanced almost perfectly with her flesh arm, though not when she was wearing Ember. She didn't want to think about Celica.

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing out, letting the flames from the edge of her vision recede, starving them of their fuel for a moment, calming her inner inferno. She looks again at the ammo, thinking over what the best choice would be.

Logically, she would probably want shells with fire dust, given that she really only carried that kind of ammo into her gauntlets before, and having mismatched ammo would require her to remember what she had loaded, which… was just too much to think about on the battlefield. The close combat style meant she didn't have a lot of time to reload, and any delay could be deadly against an Ursa, _or_ a person.

That said, it's not like she'd gotten the opportunity to test out any sort of Dust-Based weaponry while she was getting used to it at Patch. Her father had taught her the command to activate the weapon, but he wouldn't let her test with much other than the stock ammo it had come with. She'd used most of that 'negotiating' with her mothers thugs, and fighting Emerald.

If she didn't know better, she'd say he was a doting father looking out for his daughter, rather than the reality that he was probably afraid to let her accidentally burn down the entire island while she was still getting used to its functionality. He was weirdly paranoid like that.

 _burn down a forest_ one _time and I'm labeled for LIFE!_

It was probably a smart choice in all honesty. She had never even _needed_ dust to do that in the past. The effects of her semblance made that easy enough. She smiled for a moment, before she was reminded of the flames tickling the edge of her vision, and a frown took over.

The first time she'd learned of the side effect of her semblance, a few weeks after the run in with an Ursa while teaching Ruby hand-to-hand... She nearly _did_ burn down all of Patch. Her father saw to it that it didn't happen, and she'd been relegated to her room till she was scheduled to leave for Beacon.

Naturally, she'd snuck out when her Dad fell asleep to ask about a certain birdbrain, but he ended up sending Ruby after her in the end. _Or so she thought._

Before she could make any choice on the munitions, one way or another, Nora happened. " _SoOOo_ … what kinda ammo are you gonna get?! You should get lightning shells! We could be the POWER DUO that way! _Yang_ and _Nora_! _Power pals forever_!"

Yang nearly jumped out of her skin at Nora's bombastic words. She whipped around, a solid left hook ready, before stopping an inch from a _very_ startled Nora. "What did I _doooo_?"

Yang sighed, deflating throwing her hands down in a huff. " _Nothing_ , don't worry about it."

Nora looked concerned, almost heartbroken. She put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Yang, you can just go with fire dust, okay? No power pals till you're ready to hand the Full-Nora power hour... I understand."

Yang raised her eyebrow at Nora, who'd blissfully missed the point of her words.

 _Is that a team JNPR thing?_

She rolled her eyes and cracked a lazy half smile, "What do you mean? Power pals are DEFINITELY gonna happen! Can't wait to zap you with a round. The world won't know what hit it!" Here she winked playfully at the redhead.

Nora went from upset to elated in a fraction of a second, striking a pose. "Yeaaaahhhh! We'll break their legs!"

They high fived, and Yang made her decision, she had plenty of rounds to buy today. She smiled, wider this time, feeling for the first time in a while, like she was ready to face the world.

Nora just nursed her hand after hitting the metal arm.

* * *

Kali sat down gingerly.

She and the rest of the Faunus Activists had set up camp just inside the city limits. They'd figured, given the lack of warm reception to such a large group of Faunus, as much as it might have benefitted them to maintain in the public eye, it would also pose a dramatic risk to many of their people from hateful attacks.

She and her big furball husband had decided, for everyone's mutual comfort, that the edge of Mistral would be best for everyone. They'd been welcomed by other Faunus who were native to the area and had set up a thriving community. The locals helped them get a handle on Mistral's general treatment of them, so they knew what points to hit on in upcoming rallies and speeches.

It had truly been a marvel to explore the vast diversity on the outskirts, it almost reminded them of a much less arid version of Menagerie. They found a great number of people more sympathetic to peaceful resolution here, who had triumphed in the face of adversity unlike anywhere else in the four kingdoms. It was truly a miracle from the brothers.

The previously mentioned furball sat sedately down beside her, looking fondly to his wife before turning back to take in the scene playing out in front of , a newly cheerful chameleon girl was teaching basic self defense to some of the older Faunus children in the square.

They'd made sure that she wouldn't teach them anything that might encourage violence and that peaceful resolution tactics be the first thing she taught them, as a personal request. She'd been more than willing to oblige.

The rest of the camp was relatively small, but as a result they'd been relatively easy to find housing for in their temporary shelter. They'd have to decide whether to stay here now that the crisis had passed or return to Menagerie. Kali had herself been dreading the discussion, as she had quite enjoyed the chance to stretch her legs and get out into the field for once.

She might have been a pacifist, but it didn't mean she didn't relish the idea of passing her fist through someone to relive some of her former battle glory. A serving tray might have served as a satisfactory weapon, but it was nothing like when she'd wielded Khatvanga in her prime.

* * *

A thousand miles from the outskirts of Mistral, a unique airship traveled towards the outer barrier that sheltered the mountain city from any incursion of Grimm forces. Its pilot had known the combat school headmaster well, and as such, he often took this flight to see him, making sure that he wasn't passing word of their movements to their enemies.

Given the negotiating methods he employed, it was no surprise that a spineless man like Lionheart had no reason to oppose them, but even so, he'd feared the worst when he'd heard from his employer that the mission by the foolish girl and her weak-willed allies had expectedly failed. He knew what had to be done, and thus, he was here, on his way to play his part.

He smiled behind his thick moustache. He would make sure that this next operation would be a resounding success, even as he made to check his custom scroll for associates in the nearby area. He'd outfitted each scroll with a tracker to keep tabs on them, without need for the fool Ozpin's communication system. He'd not be forced to use something James had made. With _his_ help no less. No, it was time for him to make some necessary calls.

 **End of Chapter 6**

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter ended up being a bit lighter than the last few, but there's a few things that needed to get fleshed out, while also having some fun times with the Power pals and Jaune's strange obsession with bunny-themed onesies… Should someone warn Velvet, or is it too late for that? Next chapter will be a little bit of relaxed happy times but will mostly be initiating the major mover for the next 5-6 chapters at least. (Though at the pace I'm writing right now, it could be several as I describe every little thing.) Next chapter, things** _ **really**_ **start to Snowball.**

 **ALSO, HOPEFULLY NO MORE SEVERAL MONTH DELAYS GOING FORWARD (PFFT, like that's gonna happen.)**


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